


Picture Unperfect

by KeiChanz



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Comedy, Drama, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, NSFW, Non-Graphic Violence, Out of Character Inuyasha, Romance, Sex, Slice of Life, Slight Out of Character Kagome, Smut, a whole lotta WWHYYYYYY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2018-08-10 06:28:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 76,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7833859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeiChanz/pseuds/KeiChanz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagome's father expects nothing but perfection out of she and her brother. But when she meets the so-called resident bad boy at her new school, her familiar by-the-book routine is corrupted and suddenly she's lying to her father, skipping class, delaying in doing her homework, and sneaking out at night?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Summary is subject to change if I think of something better or want to add to it. 
> 
> Warning: Inuyasha will be OOC in this story. Kagome will be too, slightly. Don’t like, don’t read.

 

Kagome Higurashi stood in front of her new high school with an air of distaste because anything new meant change, and Kagome hated change. She liked things orderly and routine, where she could follow the same schedule every day, from start to finish, where there are no surprises and everything went according to plan right down to the exact minute.

 

And right now she had approximately seven minutes and twenty-nine seconds to get to her first class so she’d better not dawdle any further lest she end up late. And she was never late. Kagome hated being late for anything.

 

She wasn’t about to start now.

 

Grimacing, Kagome smoothed out her already immaculate salmon sweater and light gray knee-length skirt before forcing herself to continue forward, into the ever growing horde of fellow students, chattering loudly and laughing with their friends while they milled around on the grounds, no doubt procrastinating getting to class.

 

Clutching her books to her chest, Kagome hunched her shoulders and tried to make herself as small as possible as she meandered her way through the sea of teenagers, wondering why they thought it was necessary to stand around right front of the school entrance. It was hard not to bump into someone as people were constantly cutting her off as they ran in front of her, uncaring of the individuals they were causing to stop short before colliding head on with them.

 

Kagome’s eyebrow twitched and she narrowed her brown eyes, her lips forming a tight line. Taking a calming breath, she forged on and, catching a glimpse through the crowd of bodies the stone steps that led up to the double doors of the building. Part of her wanted to just shove her way through the mass of students to get to her destination, but the other part – the more rational and timed part – decided that wasn’t such a good idea and so she managed to squeeze her way through after what seemed like a small eternity and she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding when she finally made it to the landing.

 

Nodding to herself, and straightening out her slightly askew clothing, Kagome tucked a stray piece of raven hair behind her ear and bravely entered the school…where she was immediately dismayed to see that inside was just as bad as outside, perhaps worse. Refraining from the urge to groan aloud in frustration, the teenager managed to dodge several groups of girls and boys as they all headed to their destinations, no doubt lockers or classrooms, while Kagome herself searched for hers, which happened to be the main office. She hadn’t a clue where anything was, and was hoping the secretary could provide her with a map. She’d already received her schedule in the mail, so luckily that was one less thing she had to worry about.

 

After about a minute, the raven-haired girl finally found it – it wasn’t hard since it was right in the open – and with a small sound of relief, Kagome hurried toward it, eager to get inside the less crowded confines of the office, and most likely quieter too. All this noise was giving her a headache.

 

Kagome was a step away and reached out to grab the handle, but paused when the handle turned itself and the next thing she knew her books were flying from her arms as the door quite literally knocked her off her feet. Her butt hit the tiled floor with a hard thud and she winced, snapping her legs closed to preserve her modesty and desperately trying to ignore the badly concealed snickers and curious eyes openly staring at her. Her face burned in embarrassment and she ducked her head, biting her lip and staring at her brown loafers.

 

“Oh, shit. Uh. Sorry,” was the somewhat lame apology she got and she didn’t even bother to look up as the boy who knocked her on her ass by opening the door in her face made a hasty retreat, not bothering to stick around and help her up. Typical.

 

“Apology not accepted,” Kagome mumbled irately, but then just as quickly as it appeared her anger vanished and she sighed, staring despondently at the scattered books around her. What a _fantastical_ day this was turning out to be, she mused dryly and considered the merits of just curling into a ball and pretending she was still in bed asleep and this was all just a bad dream.

 

But it wasn’t a dream and her butt was getting numb from sitting on the cold hard floor and if she didn’t get up soon she was going to be late, and that was definitely something she didn’t want to add on to her already growing list of annoyances.

 

With another sigh, doing a quick calculation in her head that told her she had about three minutes left to get to class, Kagome was about to pick herself up when suddenly a hand was thrust in front of her face and she blinked at it, taking note of the claws tipping each finger.

 

 _Demon_ , she automatically thought as her chocolate gaze traveled up the arm it was attached to and she found herself staring into two pools of molten gold. A friendly smile was curling a pair of lips and Kagome’s eyes widened slightly as an involuntary blush crept up her neck to stain her cheeks pink. Her mouth parted into a little “o” shape as she took in the handsome features of the teenaged boy before her. Thick black brows slanted over those amber orbs and silver hair cascaded down his back, his bangs fluttering in front of his eyes, and the cutest dog ears she had ever seen sat perched on his head, twitching at every sound and at the moment they were trained on her. _Not demon…half-demon?_

 

“Hey,” he said and her flush deepened. So did his smile. “Are you alright?”

 

“I…” Her eyes trailed down his figure, idly taking note of red tee-shirt he was wearing with the letters “.em etiB” in black print on it (it took Kagome a minute to figure it out) and the slightly baggy black jeans with the knees missing. Brown Timberland boots completed the look. She had to admit, he pulled the look off very well.

 

He was still holding out his hand and Kagome stared at it like it was an alien from another planet. The boy before her chuckled and wiggled his fingers, a subtle reminder that he was still waiting for her to take it.

 

Kagome squeaked and snapped her gaze back to his laughing one before slowly, shyly, she placed her much smaller hand into his own and allowed him to haul her upright. She wasn’t expecting the strength in which he put behind the action and she ended up falling into his chest. A very hard and toned chest. His hands landed on her waist to steady her and a warm tingle shot up Kagome’s spine.

 

“I’m-I’m sorry!” she squeaked and hastily stepped away, taking her hand back from his and ducking her head. She folded her hands before her and screwed her eyes shut tight, absolutely mortified to have been caught staring stupidly at her feet while sitting on the floor by handsome half-demon. A half dog demon, she inwardly corrected herself.

 

He didn’t say anything, and Kagome thought for sure he thought she was strange and perhaps a little dimwitted. She heard him shuffling around and a few seconds later his voice reached her ears again, the friendly tone still there.

 

“Are these yours? Hm…Kagome Higurashi, huh? You must be new here.”

 

Gasping, Kagome’s eyes flew open to see him holding her books and staring down at her schedule which had been tucked inside one of her text books. It must have fallen out when her books went flying. He looked back at her, those sunset eyes once again captivating her, and held out the torture devices—er, books.

 

“Oh, y-yes, thank you,” she breathed and timidly reached out to take them from him. He didn’t loosen his grip and she blinked, flicking her gaze up at him questioningly.

 

He smiled at her again and her heart skipped a beat. “I’m Inuyasha Yamaguchi. Friends call me Yash.” He winked at her, his smile widening when her flush returned. God, she was adorable. “Want me to show you where your first class is? The warning bell’s about to go off, and you’ll be stuck in there—” He jerked his head toward the office behind him. “—for at least fifteen minutes if that’s where you were headed. Looks like I’m your only hope if you don’t wanna be late.” Inuyasha smiled charmingly at her and secretly wondered how dark of a red he could get her face to go.

 

Thinking her face probably rivaled that of a tomato by now, Kagome realized that he was right; he really was her only hope if she didn’t want to be late. The warning bell echoing throughout the lobby and hall ways emphasized that point so hugging her things to her chest once more, Kagome bit her lip and nodded, to which he swept out his arm before him with a gallant, “Right this way, milady.”

 

She had to resist the urge to giggle. Perhaps this day would take a turn for the better?

 

Inuyasha took her down the hallway to their left and ushered her up a flight of stairs and led her to the first doorway on the right, the number twenty-two on display above the doorway.

 

“Here you go. Old man Totosai is pretty cool and pretty much lets you do what you want after his lecture, but he’s also kinda scatterbrained and sometimes forgets he’s teaching a class.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head in a “tsk tsk” kind of matter and this time a small giggle escaped Kagome before she could stop it. Inuyasha grinned and hitched his bag higher onto his shoulder.

 

“I’ll catch ya later, Kagome. Nice meeting you.” He winked, gave a two fingered salute, then turned around and jogged off down the hallway, joining the other few students who waited too long and were now hurrying to get to class on time.

 

Kagome stood there a second longer than necessary watching his retreating back, a soft, shy smile gracing her lips. Then, feeling better than when she did upon entering the building, she turned and entered the room where her first period class, history, would take place.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to point out any grammatical errors or anything that doesn't make sense so I can go back and fix it. This is a very rough draft of the story, and I haven't edited any of the chapters.

Well, at least some God is looking out for her today; the majority of the class was already there, but the professor was nowhere to be seen and as such the students were taking the chance to talk amongst themselves and joke around, sitting on desks and generally ignoring everything around them. Kagome took the opportunity to quietly sneak in and find an empty desk in the third row next to the windows. She was only able to relax once she sat down and proceeded to open her notebook to a blank page. Nobody seemed to have noticed her, and she hoped it stayed that way.

 

Luckily for Kagome it did, and as the teacher breezed in, Professor Totosai, a frail looking old man with bulging eyes and gray hair pulled into a top knot of sorts, he missed her completely and with a vague gesture at his students to take their seats and quiet down – surprisingly, they did – he opened up his teacher’s edition textbook and began his lecture, everyone following suit as they opened their book to the correct page.

 

Crap. Kagome stared blankly at the cover of her history text, having no clue what chapter they were one, what page, what section, what era. She bit her lip, thinking perhaps she could lean over and inconspicuously glance at the page of the person next to her, but as it turned out she didn’t have to. Said person, a cute boy with sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes, cleared his throat softly to gain her attention and discreetly nudged his book to the edge of the desk where Kagome was able to clearly see the page number printed at the corner.

 

Relief washed through her and she tipped a grateful smile in his direction, receiving one in return and quickly leaved through her text to the right page. Breathing easier now, Kagome smiled, wielded her pen, and got to work.

 

As it turned out, Inuyasha was right on both accounts about Professor Totosai; after a brief pause to write something on the chalk board, the old man turned around, blinked his large eyes, then asked “Who are you? What am I doing here?” causing a round of laughter to erupt. Apparently that never got old and even Kagome chuckled along with them. Evidently that was the sign that it was the end of the lecture, and so everyone put their stuff away and starting chatting again, moving around and sitting on desks. Totosai didn’t seem to care at all, merely shrugging, sitting down at his desk and typing away at his laptop.

 

There were still fifteen minutes of class time left, but Kagome shrugged and went to put her things away as well, then remembered she forgot her messenger back at home and neatly stacked her books and notebook on her desk.

 

“Hi,” a cheerful voice said beside her and she lifted her gaze to find her neighbor smiling back at her. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new?”

 

Kagome blushed, as she was prone to do, and nodded once. “Er, yes. I just moved here.”

 

“That’s great!” he exclaimed and she blinked. It was? “My name’s Houjo Ueda. It’s nice to meet you…?”  


“Kagome Higurashi.”

 

“Well then, Higurashi, I can take you to your next class, if you’d like. You probably have no idea where anything is, do you?” Houjo asked with a smile and Kagome detected no snark or sarcasm in it.

 

“That’s right,” she answered, wondering if all the boys in this school were so…nice. “Oh, you don’t have to, I can just get a map—” For some reason having Houjo show her around made her feel like she was betraying Inuyasha. But that was absurd! She just met him!

 

“Wonderful!” He stood up and swung his pack over his shoulder, beaming brightly down at her like she’d just made his day. “We can go right now, then, since this class is technically over. Unless you need to stop at your locker?” He gestured to her books and Kagome grimaced, picking her things up and standing to face him.

 

“Actually, I don’t know where that is, either. History is only book I’ve been given already anyway, so I don’t have anything else. I can find it after classes.”

 

Houjo nodded and beckoned her to follow him out of the room. “All right. You’re a sophomore, so your locker will be on the second floor, as well as most of your classes, with the exception of physical education and the arts rooms.” He waited for her to get beside him, and then started down the hall in the same direction Inuyasha had gone earlier. “What do you have next?”

 

“Um…” Kagome slid her schedule out of its nook and scanned it over. “Economics.”

 

“Right this way.” Smiling cheerfully, he ushered her down the empty hallway, helpfully pointing out the other rooms along the way to her, and Kagome discovered that her mathematics classroom was only a few doors down from History. Thankfully, though, math wasn’t until after lunch.

 

Houjo chattered nonstop all the way down the hallway, and Kagome only half-listened, looking around her, familiarizing herself with her surroundings so she wouldn’t end up getting lost and being late.

 

“So, Higurashi,” Houjo began and Kagome snapped her attention back to him. “What classes do you have after Econ? Maybe I have some with you.” He smiled again, his blue eyes wide and giving him a boyish charm.

 

Kagome frowned. Why does he keep calling her that? “You know, you can call me—”

 

“Kagome!”

 

Said teenager jumped and spun around, along with Houjo, to find Inuyasha jogging toward her with a grin on his face, his pack from earlier absent and a leather jacket thrown over his shirt.

 

For reasons unknown to Kagome, her heart beat a little faster and her cheeks heated. “Oh, hi Inuyasha,” she said softly and offered a small smile. What was he doing wandering the hallways? And where was his bag?

 

He stopped before her and blinked. “Call me Yash.” The silver-haired half-demon winked at her and admired the way her flush darkened and painted her cheeks a becoming scarlet. He decided he liked the affect he had on her.

 

Then he seemed to realize she wasn’t alone and turned his attention to the sandy haired teenager beside her and his smile vanished. What was this joker doing around Kagome?

 

Houjo’s smiled had waned, though it wasn’t completely lost as he raised his eyebrows at the school’s resident slacker. “Yamaguchi,” he greeted with a nod.

 

Inuyasha frowned and cocked his head. “…Person,” he answered shortly then turned his attention back to the young woman between them. His smile returned and he tucked his hands into his pockets. “What are you doing out here? Class doesn’t end for another ten minutes.”

 

“Oh, I—”

 

“Professor Totosai forgot he was teaching again and everybody took that as the end of the lesson,” Houjo answered for her and Inuyasha frowned, shooting him a look that clearly said “I wasn’t talking to you.” The blue-eyed boy either ignored it or didn’t notice. “I was taking the chance to show Higurashi where her other classrooms are.” Houjo beamed down at her, obviously feeling important.

 

“So, _Kagome_ ,” Inuyasha emphasized purposely, ignoring the joker, and Houjo frowned at the familiarity. “What’s your next class? I’ll take you there.” The smile was back and once again Kagome’s heart skipped a beat.

 

Wimp raised a hand in protest. “Oh, I was going to—”

 

Without warning, Inuyasha swung his arm around Kagome’s shoulders and promptly steered her past Houjo, who was gaping like a fish and wondering what had just happened. Kagome’s face flamed and she stared wide-eyed at the hand that rested against her upper arm, his claws brushing her flesh, the blue-eyed boy behind them completely forgotten. “Economics, huh?” He clucked his tongue, scanning her schedule where he’d snatched it from her hand. “Professor Saki. Make sure you read the chapters she assigns you. She gives pop quizzes on them all the time. Lessee, phys ed – hey, you have that with me! – lunch, biology, English with me…” He trailed off as he studied her schedule.

 

“Um, Inuyasha?” Kagome squeaked a minute later.

 

“Yash.”

 

“Er, Y-Yash…?”

 

“Hm?” Tilting his head down to look at her, Inuyasha followed her gaze to the hand resting against her arm and he smirked, deliberately moving his hand in a way that his claws trailed across her skin and he delighted in the way goosebumps erupted on her arm and the small gasp that escaped her lips. “What? Does this bother you?” He gave her shoulders a squeeze, hoping that she didn’t mind because it felt so right with her underneath his arm, her frame tucked into his larger one and damn, but her skin was silky smooth.

 

“Er, w-well, I, um…that is…” Kagome stuttered, completely at a loss as to what to say because if she were honest with herself, he didn’t mind it at all. It felt natural to have his arm around her like this, to be tucked in next to him, feeling his warmth and his hand on her arm. But then again, she’d only just met the guy not even an hour ago, and already he was acting like he’d known her for years! It was improper in so many ways and if her father found out a boy was hanging so casually on her like this… Kagome didn’t want to think about it.

 

Chuckling, Inuyasha gave in and decided to give the girl a reprieve since they were almost to her next lesson anyway, sliding his arm from around her shoulders but not before once more intentionally dragging his claws against her flesh, smirking when he felt a subtle tremble climb up her frame.

 

Visibly relaxing, Kagome took a deep, steadying breath and dared to peek up at her companion, not expecting him to already be staring down at her, that disarming smile once again spread across his features and it did funny things to her insides. She swallowed hard and offered a timid smile of her own though it wavered slightly from her wound up nerves.

 

Inuyasha’s smile widened and he shook his head. “God, but you’re so damn cute,” he said aloud and another blush ignited in her cheeks. Would she ever stop blushing around this boy?! Resisting the sudden urge to reach for her and hug her tight, the half-demon instead settled for reaching out and tucking a stray strand of raven hair behind her ear, trailing his fingers down her jaw and then her neck before he could stop himself and if what his nose was telling him was correct, the blushing beauty _really_ liked that action.

 

Smug pride washed over him like a tidal wave and he outright grinned. She was so responsive, and he loved it. Letting his hand fall to his side, he locked gazes with her and resisted the urge to chuckle at her wide-eyed, slightly stricken (and blushing) expression. “Have fun in Econ,” he said a bit more huskily than he would have liked, but there was no helping it. “Catch ya later, babydoll.” With one more wink, he shoved his hands into his pockets again and sauntered slowly off, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

 

“Babydoll…?” Inuyasha heard her whisper a minute later and he smirked to himself, but he couldn’t stop the snicker from escaping when he heard her breathe a few words some seconds later, no doubt thinking he couldn’t hear her.

 

“My god, but that _butt…_ ”


	3. Chapter 3

Ten minutes later, Kagome scurried into her next classroom, hoping to remain unnoticed as she found an empty seat and claimed it as her own. A few boys and girls from the previous class were still milling around, talking casually as they took their time putting materials away and leisurely strolled out of the room. Pretty soon the room was empty – the professor must have stepped out before the next class began – and Kagome was left with her thoughts and right now they were self-berating.

 

Covering her still blushing cheeks with her hands, the brown-eyed girl shook her head in disbelief, kicking herself over the fact that she had caught herself staring at Inuyasha’s _butt_ , of all things! She couldn’t help it; as he’d sauntered away, Kagome had been admiring the long snowy tresses that fell down his back, her eyes trailing down the length of it until she was quite shamelessly admiring a very _different_ attribute of the half-demon’s.

 

And then he’d disappeared behind a growing crowd of students as they trickled out of their classrooms as lessons ended and Kagome had been jerked back to the present when she’d lost sight of him.

 

 _God, I hope nobody saw me,_ Kagome thought as she finally got her blush under control and dropped her hands into her lap. Then she stiffened as a thought occurred to he and her cinnamon eyes widened.

 

_Ohmigod. What if **he** had saw me?! _

Aaaaaaaand the blush was back.

 

Thankfully, Kagome’s thoughts were interrupted when students started milling inside the classroom and she welcomed the distraction as she looked up and studied her fellow classmates, wondering if any of them would notice the new girl. No one gave her a second glance and Kagome felt herself start to relax, thinking that she’d get away from introductions a second time as the professor, a tall, slim woman with salt and pepper hair pulled back into a tight bun and reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, marched in and stood before the class. She didn’t even have to gesture for them to quiet down; the room became silent at her presence and Professor Saki nodded in satisfaction.

 

“Good morning, class,” she greeted and received a few good morning’s in return. “Before we begin, I have an announcement to make.” Then unexpectedly, Professor Saki’s sharp gaze slid over to where Kagome was sitting and she stiffened.

  
Crap.

 

“I’ve just received word that a new student is joining us today.” Kagome resisted the urge to groan and bang her head against the desk. “Is there a Kagome Higurashi here with us today?”

 

Wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole, Kagome winced and shyly raised her hand. Her fellow classmates all turned their heads to stare at her and her cheeks darkened. She wondered if her face would be permanently flushed by the end of the day.

 

Surprisingly, the teacher’s gaze softened somewhat however she did not smile. “Welcome to our school, Miss Higurashi. Are you new to the area?”

 

Kagome nodded meekly and let her hand fall back into her lap.

 

Apparently taking pity on the poor girl, Professor Saki nodded once and decided to get back on schedule. “We hope you like it here. Now, class, take out your books and turn to page three sixty one. We’ll continue where we left off yesterday.” Thankfully, everyone did as they were told and took their attention off of her. Saki grabbed a spare textbook from her desk and walked over to place it on Kagome’s. “We are on chapter four. Keep up with the reading, and you’ll do just fine.” Then the professor surprised the girl again when a small smile quirked the sides of her lips before she turned around, headed to the front of the class and began teaching.

 

Sucking in a deep breath, glad the worst part was over, Kagome nodded to herself and opened her new text, thinking that perhaps she’d have to make a quick pit stop to her locker after next period. She didn’t relish the idea of carrying three heavy textbooks around with her all day.

 

**-X-**

 

Biology went off without a hitch, except for the part where the teacher made her stand up in front of the class and introduce herself, and another textbook was added to her growing collection. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to find where her locker was. All Kagome had to do follow everybody else to the hallway dedicated to the things and go about halfway down before she spotted hers. Smiling, Kagome unlatched the lock with the combination she’d already memorized and gratefully deposited her heavy books onto the top shelf, along with her notebook and pen. She had P.E. next and wouldn’t be needing them.

 

After slamming the door closed, Kagome was about to find the nearest staircase – she remembered Houjo mentioning that the gym was downstairs – when a pair of hands suddenly covered her eyes and she gasped, her back stiffening in alarm.

 

“Guess who?” a deep voice purred in her ear, eliciting a shudder, and Kagome instantly knew who it was.

 

“In-Inuyasha…?”

 

A chuckle. “It’s Yash, babydoll.” _That nickname again…_ The hands were removed and Kagome spun around to stare into laughing golden eyes. He wasn’t wearing his jacket anymore and his arms were crossed over his chest as he studied her, his trademark smile curling his lips and once more making Kagome’s heart do palpations. He just looked so damn _good_ when he smiled like that…

 

“Oh, r-right.” Kagome offered a small smile in return and Inuyasha laughed before swinging his arm around her shoulders again and steering her down the hall. Unpredictably her cheeks flamed, not only from the arm around her shoulder but from the curious stares she received as they walked down the hall. Peeking up at him now, Kagome studied him closely, to the easy-going smile quirking his lips to the way he greeted some of his friends as they passed them, jokingly calling some people a rude name and flipping them off with a laugh, while others he smiled genuinely at them and they shared a high give or pound. Obviously Inuyasha was quite popular here, with the boys _and_ the girls, Kagome noted with not as much enthusiasm. She didn’t understand why, but Kagome didn’t really like the way some girls would openly flirt with him as they sashayed by, fluttering their eyelashes at him, giggling behind their hands and wiggling their fingertips at him coyly.

 

For his part, all the half-demon did was aim them a friendly smile and a nod and that made Kagome feel a little better. Why, she didn’t know, but decided not to dwell on those thoughts at the moment. They were too confusing. _Inuyasha_ confused her.

 

The whole way to the gym, Inuyasha didn’t remove his arm, ignoring the stares and the whispers, but Kagome found it harder to disregard them. She’d never acted so familiar with a boy that wasn’t a family member before and she wasn’t sure how to act. Part of her wanted to scream at him that this was inappropriate, that they barely knew each other, and she didn’t want to be labeled on her first day at a new school. The other part, however, the more louder and insistent part, wanted to damn the consequences and milk it for all it was worth, soak up the hanyou’s attention like a greedy sponge. Never before had she warranted such male attention, and Kagome found that she liked, reveled in it, even. And even though it was new, something the schoolgirl avoided desperately because new meant change and change was bad because it threw off her carefully planned schedule, her flawless routine that she followed every single day immaculately without fail, Kagome wanted…more.

 

And that scared her, more than any other thing.

 

So preoccupied was she in her thoughts, Kagome didn’t even realized they’d arrived the gym until she felt the warmth of Inuyasha’s arm slide from around her shoulders and she blinked her eyes back into focus. She was staring a door labeled “Girl’s Locker Room.” Whoa. She’d somehow made it down the stairs without tripping and falling flat on her face. Probably largely due to Inuyasha’s arm slung around her shoulders.

 

“This is your stop,” Inuyasha said. “Obviously I can’t go in with you, which is quite a shame, really. But what can ya do?” He shrugged helplessly and grinned down at her.

 

“Oh,” she breathed intelligently, not even registering all of his words.

 

Chuckling, Inuyasha shook his head and in a move that shocked her and made her face flame once again, he leaned in and kissed her forehead softly. “I’ll see you in a few, babydoll. Don’t keep me waiting, yeah?” With that, he leaned back, winked, and then walked a few feet away to disappear into a room labeled “Boy’s Locker Room.”

 

Stunned, blushing and her thoughts going a mile a minute, Kagome stared at the door he vanished behind, her skin tingling from where his lips had touched her.

 

“…Oh,” she said again, dazed.

 

**-X-**

 

“Holy shit! You’re actually here?!”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he strolled out into the gym, donned in a plain white tee shirt with red jersey shorts and sneakers, just like the rest of the boys in the class. “Shut up, Miroku,” he said pleasantly as he flipped off his best friend, his amber eyes scanning the large gym and the students who were already changed and ready to go, preforming warm ups as the chatted to each other. He frowned when he didn’t find what he was looking for.

 

Miroku and a brown haired girl with a high ponytail and gentle maple eyes jogged up to him but he ignored them in favor of scanning the room again, his ears twitching atop his head, listening carefully.

 

Raising an eyebrow, the violet-eyed male searched the room with him in curiosity before bestowing his best friend with a strange look. “Uh…what are you looking for?”

 

“Nothing,” the half-demon answered distractedly before suddenly realizing something and he blinked once before turning his gaze to the human. His eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute, what are _you_ doing here? You don’t go to any other classes, so what makes this one so special?” Inuyasha had an idea as to what the reason was, but wanted to confirm his suspicions. “And what the hell happened to your face?”

 

Miroku rolled his eyes and cast a sidelong glance off to the side where a group of boys were giving cat calls to the girls and generally being a nuisance. “Whaddaya think?” The violet-eyed teenager was sporting a rather wicked shiner on his left eye, the skin a blend of purple, blue and yellow that had his half-demon friend wincing in sympathy; it looked like it hurt like a sonuvabitch.

 

Inuyasha’s brows lowered dangerously and he scowled darkly, amber eyes instantly zeroing in on the greasy haired fucker that was in the center of the group of lowlifes Miroku had discreetly gestured to. “That motherfucking bastard, I’ll show him—”

 

“Calm down, Inuyasha,” Miroku cut in. “It was a lucky shot, that’s all, and I managed to leave my mark on him as well.” He shrugged and though it still pissed Inuyasha off that his enemy had gone after his best friend, Inuyasha let it go; grumbling to himself while sending lethal glares the asshat’s way.

 

“Anyway,” Miroku said before a wide grin spread across his features, a mischievous glint sparkling in his violet eyes and the girl beside him groaned. “To your first question: what, and miss all these beautiful girls prancing around in short little shorts, showing off their scrumptious, shapely legs as their bountiful brea—ow!” His lechery was cut short when the maple-eyed girl suddenly thwacked him upside the head and he winced, raising a hand to rub the tender flesh.

  
“Pervert,” she mumbled, glaring at the stupid human that she made the mistake of befriending.

 

Inuyasha snorted. “You shoulda hit him harder, Sango. Knock some sense into that stupid skull of his.”

 

Sango released a snort of her own and rolled her eyes, jutting a hip to the side as she folded her arms and eyed the black-haired male. “Believe me, if I hit him any harder I’d probably give him brain damage.” She paused. “Even _more_ brain damage.”

 

“My love, you know I only have eyes for your shapely legs and boo—dammit, Sango! Knock it off, that hurts! I’ve already been knocked around once today!”

 

“It’s supposed to, stupid!”

 

Shaking his head, Inuyasha went back to surveying the gym and its occupants, searching for a familiar splash of black hair when the most amazing scent he’d ever encountered reached his nose and he snapped his gaze over to the entrance of the girl’s locker room. Kagome was standing awkwardly in front of it, the last to emerge, wearing a tee shirt much like his own and little red shorts that she kept trying to pull down. Inuyasha took a moment to admire those “scrumptious, shapely legs” then trailed his gaze back to her face. She was biting her lip, her cheeks tinted a soft pink as she looked around and all he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and never let go. She looked so alone and confused.

 

“Bab—uh, Kagome!” he called, stopping himself from calling her his nickname for her and embarrassing her in front of their classmates. Wide brown eyes swung his way and he smiled, waving and beckoning her to join him and his two friends.

 

He watched in satisfaction as a small, relieved smile graced those full lips and she made her way over to him, her arms crossed over her stomach in a self-conscious motion. When she reached him, he wasted no time in stepping beside her and this time slung his arm around her waist instead of her shoulders. Kagome squeaked and right on cue her cheeks blossomed a lovely shade of pink.

 

“Kagome, these are my friends, Miroku Tsujitani and Sango Kuwashima. Guys, this is Kagome Higurashi. She’s new,” he added needlessly and shyly, said girl offered a smile and nodded to them. Were they as nice as Inuyasha?

 

Sango, sensing the girl’s bashfulness, stepped forward and smiled warmly at her, hoping to make a female friend. “Hi Kagome. It’s nice to meet you.” She looked on as the raven-haired girl relaxed somewhat and returned her smile. She opened her mouth to stay something, but suddenly her hand was grasped in a larger one and Kagome looked down in confusion. It wasn’t Inuyasha’s hand…

 

“My dear Kagome,” she heard and looked up to find the boy, Miroku, smiling charmingly at her, his violet eyes sparkling with something she couldn’t quite decipher. Her own eyes widened at the wicked looking bruise surrounding his left eye and she couldn’t help but wonder how he received it. “My, aren’t you a beauty. Would you like to b—”

 

A rather loud growl abruptly cut off the rest of his sentence and Kagome jumped, realizing it was coming from the half-demon beside her. What…?

 

Miroku flinched and lifted his eyes to lock gazes with deadly amber orbs and if looks could kill, he’d be six feet under by now.

 

 _“She’s off limits,”_ the hanyou mouthed, tightening his hold on Kagome’s waist, and dumbly, although a little confused, Miroku nodded and released Kagome’s hand. Said girl blinked up at him with a puzzled expression, wondering if he was going to finish what he’d been saying, and Miroku cleared his throat, laughing a little nervously.

 

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you as well, Kagome.” He eyed the arm around the girl’s waist but deigned not to comment, instead shooting his best friend a questioning look.

 

Inuyasha ignored it which didn’t surprise Miroku at all. He sighed; he’d have to ask about it at a later time, when Kagome wasn’t present. Inuyasha had never been this possessive over a girl since…

 

“So, Kagome,” Sango said, interrupting his thoughts. “How’d you and Yash meet?”

 

“Um, somebody knocked me down on my way into the main office, and Inuyasha helped me up. He’s been showing me to my classes.” She shot the half-demon a timid, fond smile and he smiled back down at her. Sango and Miroku watched the exchange with interest and shot each other knowing looks. It wasn’t farfetched that Inuyasha would help somebody up after falling. But to take it upon himself to show her around, befriend her, and introduce her to his closest friends…it was a little strange, to say the least. He’d only ever been this taken with another girl once before. And that hadn’t ended well at all.

 

A sudden, shrill whistle had everybody wincing and turning their attention to a tall, bulky man in gray sweat pants and a red tee shirt holding a clipboard. Gray eyes surveyed the students in front of him before barking a command. “Ten laps, starting now!”

 

After a few groans of protest and a comment from the teacher – “Quit yer bitching and run!” – everybody started jogging around the perimeter of the gym, some in groups and some loners and amid them were Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango. The girls were side by side as they ran and the boys were behind them, one pair of eyes admiring the view before them while the other was…okay, admiring the view as well.

 

“I meant what I said, Miroku,” Inuyasha stated five laps later. The bastard wasn’t even breaking a sweat or breathing hard. _The advantages of being a half-demon_ , the black-haired human mused enviously. Said half-demon shot his friend a sidelong look, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Hands off babydoll. She’s still not comfortable around me, so imagine her reaction when you’re…well, yourself. If you touch her, Miroku…” The half-demon trailed off and the threat was obvious.

 

 _Babydoll?_ Miroku inwardly frowned at the nickname but decided not to comment. It appeared his half-demon friend hadn’t even realized he’d called the black-haired schoolgirl by the affectionate name. Outwardly, he rolled his eyes and flapped a hand at him. “Yes, yes, I quite like my head right where it is, thank you,” he managed, breathing a little heavier than normal. “Seriously, though, Yash,” his friend began and cast a look to the girls in front of him; they were too caught up in conversation to overhear so he continued. “You and Kagome seem awfully, er… _close_ for two people who have just met.” He arched a brow. “Care to enlighten me?”

 

Inuyasha scoffed and averted his gaze to the object of discussion, his face softening as she laughed at something Sango said. “Dunno what you’re talking about, monk.” The nickname was an inside joke between the three of them, since the violet-eyed human was the farthest thing from a monk as one could get.

 

“Riiiiiight,” Miroku deadpanned and Inuyasha, as usual, ignored him. “And I suppose you also want me to believe that you just woke up today and said, ‘I think I’m gonna go to phys ed today!’ for no reason at all and it has nothing to do with the fact that a Miss Kagome Higurashi shares this period with us…”

 

 _That_ he wasn’t able to ignore.

 

Ahead of them, the girls lapsed into a comfortable silence, Kagome thinking that maybe she and Sango could become close friends, when the girl beside her spoke up. “So, Kagome,” she began and Kagome was slightly jealous that she didn’t seem to be out of breath at all. “You and Inuyasha seem…kinda cozy.” Orbs the color of maple slanted a look at her and Kagome made a face, glancing over her shoulder and the boy in question.

 

A small laugh bubbled up, however, when she saw Inuyasha had Miroku in a headlock, an evil grin on his face he proceeded to give the human a rather vicious noogie. The black-haired male struggled in his friend’s grip, threating the half-demon with bodily harm if he didn’t let him go right now, to which Inuyasha only cackled gleefully and continued to drag him along with him as he ran. At that point the ten laps had been finished so running slowed into walking until everyone had stopped and was standing around talking until Mr. Shou, as Kagome had earlier learned, gave further instructions. Finally Inuyasha released Miroku before taking off and Miroku didn’t waste any time in chasing after him, the silver-haired teenager’s laughter echoing around them.

 

Kagome smiled as she watched the two, vaguely noting that Sango came to stand beside her and watched the two boys as well. Then remembering what her new friend had stated earlier, the smile faded to be replaced with a look akin to a mixture of embarrassment and confusion, a soft pink suffusing her cheeks as she recalled the warmth of Inuyasha’s arm around her waist and the soft kiss he’d bestowed upon her forehead before class.

 

“Um, w-well, I wouldn’t call it cozy,” she finally remarked and bit her lip, a slight frown marring her features. Was it even possible to have something with somebody you’d just met on the very same day? He was treating her like he’d known her for years instead of a few hours, and it should have been a warning to have Kagome stay clear because his behavior was inappropriate, too familiar, and the first time he smiled at her while she sat on the floor in the main lobby, she should have stood up and ran far, far away from him.

 

But instead, she took his hand and sealed her fate.


	4. Chapter 4

For the remainder of PE, they ended up playing a game of volleyball, girls against the boys, with the end result being the girls quite spectacularly whooped the guys’ asses. Sango was still gloating as they exited the locker room and Kagome glanced around, expecting to see Inuyasha and maybe Miroku waiting outside for them. It was nice to be involved in a close knit group of friends, even if she did feel awkward and shy around them.

 

When she caught no sight of either teenager, Kagome wasn’t expecting the disappointment that washed through her. Perhaps they’d already gone to lunch?

 

“C’mon, Kagome,” Sango regained her attention and tugged at her hand. “Let’s get some lunch, I’m starving after beating the boys so hard. It’s time for a victory meal!” Grinning, Sango led her new friend toward the cafeteria, and though Kagome wanted to ask where Inuyasha and Miroku had gone, she decided not to. She didn’t want to seem clingy or nosy, lost without her self-proclaimed guide.

 

The cafeteria was loud, crowded and smelled like pizza although it looked like today was taco day if the tacos on the students’ trays were anything to go by. Kagome stuck close to the brown-haired girl in front of her as they made their way to the line, Sango grabbing two trays and selecting Kagome’s meal for her. Said girl didn’t mind; she didn’t know what was good and what wasn’t and she trusted Sango’s judgment.

 

In the end the two girls both had a turkey sandwich, a bag of chips, an apple and a small carton of chocolate milk. Sango started to lead Kagome to an empty table, the one where she and the boys sat every day, when a loud cry of “Higurashi!” stopped the girls in their tracks and said girl turned around and spotted Houjo frantically waving at her with a wide smile on his face, his eyes bright and exuberant.

 

“Who’s that?” Sango asked.

 

“Houjo. He’s in my history class,” she answered as the sandy-haired boy started toward them, gesturing to the people he was standing with that he’d be back in a minute.

 

“Hey!” he said as he approached. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to bring you to your other classes. Did you find them alright? Would you like to sit with me and my friends?” He smiled at her and didn’t even seem to notice Sango behind the object of his interest as he only had eyes for the girl in front of him.

 

Offering a kind smile in return, Kagome was about to answer when suddenly there was a familiar arm around her shoulders and she paused, blinking as she stared down at the hand resting on her arm tipped with claws.

 

“Babydoll,” Inuyasha greeted and Houjo’s mouth dropped at the nickname. He smiled down at her. “Miss me?”

 

Rolling her eyes, Sango figured that her friend had this under control then continued toward their regular table, spotting Miroku already sitting there in the process of shoving a slice of pizza in his mouth. How charming.

 

Blushing, Kagome stuttered for a minute, shocked that he’d call her that so casually in front of Sango and Houjo and not even knowing how to answer his question. Miss him? He’d only been gone ten minutes, of course she hadn’t! But she couldn’t say that because strangely, she knew that would hurt the half-demon’s feelings and hurting him in any way, shape, or form was something Kagome wanted to avoid at all costs.   


“Um, Inuyasha—”

 

“Yash.”  
  
“Er, you remember Houjo, right?” She aimed a nervous smile at the sandy-haired boy.

 

Inuyasha frowned for a millisecond then schooled his features as he turned his gaze to the human boy obviously infatuated with his babydoll. “No,” he lied and shrugged. “She’ll be sitting with me, thanks. Toodles.” With that, he tucked her into his side and directed her toward the table where Miroku and Sango sat, leaving Houjo behind with a puzzled frown as he stared after them.

 

That was the second time that Inuyasha had stolen her from Houjo and she felt a little bad for just letting him take her away. She’d been going to turn down his offer, anyway, since she’d wanted to sit with Sango but at the same time she didn’t want to cause any discomfiture between them. Houjo seemed like a genuinely nice boy who wanted to help her make friends and fit in, however Inuyasha seemed adamant on deflecting any interaction between them. She wondered why that was.

 

A minute later and the two of them were seated side by side across from Miroku and Sango and munching away on their lunches, Inuyasha having gotten a slice of pizza as well, but he kept stealing Kagome’s chips. Kagome pretended to be annoyed but couldn’t stop the small smile that graced her lips every time he snuck a hand out and snagged a piece of salty goodness. The boyish grin he gave her every time sealed the deal and with a sigh of defeat she set the bag of chips in front of him. The half-demon gave a whoop of success and attacked the chips with relish. Kagome and Sango laughed and shook their heads at his childish antics.

 

Distractedly tearing off a piece of bread from her half eaten sandwich, Kagome stole another look at the teenaged half-demon beside her, watching as he held the bag of chips out of Miroku’s reach who was leaning across the table and trying to snatch them from him, with no success. Why did she continue to allow him to…do whatever it was he was doing to her? To call her affectionate names, warp his arm around her, kiss her forehead, make butterflies erupt in her stomach every time he looked at her?! It didn’t make any sense and it—it just wasn’t right the way he looked at her with those beautiful amber eyes, like if anything were to happen to her he would be devastated. Kagome didn’t know how she knew this, she just did and she found herself vowing silently to never let that happen because she couldn’t bear the thought of Inuyasha in pain, be it physical or emotional.

 

And that confused her and brought her right back to the question she’d been asking herself all day. Why should she care if this boy she’d just met a few hours ago got hurt? Why did she feel the need to return his affections with her own and damn the consequences? Why did he make her heart skip a beat when he smiled at her, when he touched her? It made no sense, and Kagome desperately wanted to understand why. It couldn’t be that she already had a crush on him, could it? She barely knew him, as she’d told herself many times before throughout the course of the day, so that was impossible.

 

…Right…?

 

Kagome sighed and stared down at her unfinished lunch, wishing she didn’t have to think so much and give herself a headache. Inuyasha was an enigma, one she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to unravel.

 

“Yo, earth to babydoll, are you in there?”

 

It was then that she realized a clawed hand was being waved in front of her face and she blinked. It was strange how used she was getting to being called that. Even worse, she was actually responding to it now instead of her name. Kagome blushed and turned her gaze to the smirking teenager beside her. He must have noticed as well and it made her blush darken several shades.

 

Chuckling, Inuyasha held out his hand palm up. “Gimme your phone. “ He wiggled his fingers.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “How do you know I even have one?”  
  
A black brow arched into the fringe of his silver bangs. “Because I know everything.” He grinned cheekily at her and the brown-eyed girl rolled her eyes at him.

 

“Why do you want it?”

 

“Just gimme.”

 

“Fine, fine,” she sighed and retrieved it from her skirt pocket. She handed it over and watched as he expertly swiped and poked at the touch screen for a minute or two before locking it once more and giving it back. Warily she took it and eyed the mobile device for a minute before going into her contacts and sure enough down at the Y’s, he’d added his number under the name Yash. A tiny smile quirked her lips and she ducked her head to hide it.

 

“I sent myself a text so I have yours,” he said next and because she was curious as to what he wrote, she ventured into her messages and found said text. Chocolate eyes widened at what he wrote.

 

_You’re beautiful when you blush._

 

The little devil knew she’d look! Her cheeks heated and she heard him chuckle huskily beside her. Oh, that little—!

 

“Hello, Inuyasha.”

 

Instantly Inuyasha’s playful mood vanished and she felt him tense up beside her. Confused as to who could have brought about this change, Kagome leaned forward slightly and saw a strikingly beautiful girl about the same age as herself standing beside their table, hugging her school things to her chest and smiling gently down at the half-demon. She had straight black hair that reached her waist and soft mocha eyes, her skin pale and flawless. The girl donned a pale pink sweater and light blue jeans; the tips of black boots with a three inch heel could be seen peeking out from the flared hems. It was amazing how much she looked like Kagome, almost as if they could be sisters. Obviously Miroku and Sango thought of this as well because they kept glancing back and forth between the two of them and the former was about to make a comment when Sango elbowed him in the side with a look that clearly said “not now.”

 

Now she was confused. Who was this girl?

  
She got her answer a moment later when Inuyasha finally answered in a stiff, mechanical voice.

 

“Hello, Kikyou.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a Kikyou hater. I’m not going to make her a slutty two-timing bitch in this story. I know in my other fiction Dangerous Dancing I made her out to be a bitch and slut or whatever but since then I’ve matured and I have a different opinion of her. Thinking back on it, I cringe every time I recall how utterly stupid I was when I wrote that story, how inexperienced I was.


	5. Chapter 5

An uncomfortable silence stretched between the new comer and half-demon and eyes the color of cinnamon watched curiously as Inuyasha shifted in his seat, amber eyes staring down at the table and a frown marring his handsome features. Her gaze switched to stare at the girl standing awkwardly by the table, a soft blush tinting her cheeks but her lips never lost that gentle, shy smile.

 

Finally Inuyasha heaved a sigh and lifted his head to grace Kikyou with a smile of his own, albeit it seemed a bit forced in Kagome’s opinion. “How…how are you, Kikyou?”

 

Said girl visibly relaxed when he finally addressed her and she lifted a hand to tuck a strand of coal black hair behind her ear. “I am well. Yourself?” Her eyes briefly flicked over to the girl sitting beside the half-demon and a flare of surprise flashed across her gaze but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

 

“I’m good.”

 

Once again silence claimed the moment as neither of them had anything more to say.

 

Kagome bit her lip and resisted the urge to squirm uncomfortably in her seat, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment or something. Obviously these two had some kind of history, one that the schoolgirl found herself wanting to know all about. She cast a look at Miroku and Sango and wasn’t all that surprised to find them picking at their lunch listlessly, staring anywhere but at their friend and Kikyou. Okay, so they knew what had gone down between them…perhaps she could ask them about it later? Or maybe it would be better if she asked Inuyasha directly?

 

Kikyou cleared her throat, bringing Kagome out of her thoughts, and she nodded. “I am glad that you’re well, Inuyasha. I, ah, have to get going now.” She paused, as if hesitating, then said, “It was…nice talking to you.” She aimed another smile at him, this one small, but nonetheless genuine.

 

“Yeah,” Inuyasha softly answered. “Me too. Uh, glad you’re doing okay. It was, uh, nice talking to you too, Kikyou.” The hanyou offered smile and it didn’t reach his eyes.

 

“I’ll…see you around, then.”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

Nodding, Kikyou turned her attention away from him and acknowledged the two sitting across from him with a curt nod, to which they returned, and Kagome was surprised that she did the same to her and dumbly she gave one of her own.

  
Then with one last smile aimed at Inuyasha, Kikyou turned and walked away.

 

No one said anything after she left, with three pairs of eyes staring down at the table silently and one looking between the three in confusion, when finally the half-demon of the group abruptly stood up without making eye contact with anyone and walked toward the exit without saying a single word.

 

Kagome watched him go with a confused frown, wondering why she felt slightly hurt at his aloof behavior, but wasn’t able to dwell on it for long as Miroku and Sango started chatting again as if nothing had happened and the rest of the lunch period continued, minus a certain half-demon.

 

**-X-**

 

The rest of the day was uneventful and since her self-proclaimed hanyou escort had gone missing, Kagome was forced to find the rest of her classes on her own, which as it turned out wasn’t all that difficult since most of them were all in the same hallway, with the exception of math; that classroom was actually in the “locker hallway” and Kagome was pleased to find that her locker was right across from it.

 

Thankfully, math was her last subject of the day and she sat in her seat now, having gotten away with not introducing herself to the class, however the professor did come up to her and ask if she was the new student on his roster, to which she replied in the affirmative. Then she was given the course’s text book – she was dismayed to realize that it was the heaviest out of all of her others – and the lesson began. Kagome did her hardest to concentrate and follow along, since math was her most difficult subject for her, but constantly found her mind wandering away from the matter and toward a certain dog demon with silver hair and golden eyes, wondering what he was doing and why she hadn’t seen him since lunch. Especially since he was supposed to be in this class with her; when the teacher did roll call, she hadn’t been expecting him to call out Inuyasha’s name and she’d eagerly looked around but when she’d caught no flash of silver, it was evident he was a no show. And apparently this wasn’t all that unusual; the teacher sighed, shook his head then called the next student’s name.

 

 _Is he skipping class? Or maybe after that thing with that Kikyou girl, he left early?_ Kagome didn’t want to think that he was skipping out on classes, because for people who did _that_ , it usually meant that they were troublemakers and disobeyed the rules, were class clowns and wandered around bullying other kids and generally were a nuisance.

 

But Inuyasha didn’t seem like any of those things to Kagome. He had been nothing but nice to her, taking her to classes, introducing her to his friends, and he could have just ignored her that morning and walked away without having helped her up. But he didn’t, and not for the first time Kagome just wondered _why_. It was a question, she feared, would never be answered.

 

“That’s it for today, class,” the professor suddenly announced and Kagome blinked, realizing that she’d zoned out for the remainder of class. Blushing in embarrassment, hoping nobody had caught her spacing out, she quickly jotted down that night’s assignment and gathered up her things, following the rest of the class out into the hallway.

 

She wasn’t expecting to find Inuyasha leaning against her locker, head down and hands shoved into his pockets. Kagome froze in the doorway, forcing her fellow classmates to walk around her, and he must’ve caught her scent or realized class was over because he lifted his head and locked gazes with her. Then he smiled and Kagome melted.

 

Heart pounding, Kagome closed the distance between them and Inuyasha stepped to the side so she could have access to her locker. Mechanically she unlocked the door and traded her English text for Economics. Thankfully her only two assignments that night were for math and econ so she didn’t have to carry more than those two books home with her.

 

Inuyasha stood silently off to the side and she could feel his gaze on her. Kagome was dying to bombard him with questions – who is Kikyou to him, why wasn’t he in math, why is he so damn _nice_ to her – but decided it would be better if she didn’t. After all, as she’d had to keep reminding herself all day, she barely knew him and it wouldn’t be fair to ask such questions of him.

 

 _And maybe it’s best that I **don’t** know him,_ Kagome thought to herself as she closed and locked the metal door, biting down on her lip as she finally turned toward her companion. She stared at his chest, hesitant to look into his eyes, because she didn’t want him to know what she was thinking. Because for some reason, she knew that he’d read her thoughts and she knew it would hurt him and she wanted to prevent that. She wished she knew why.

 

“Babydoll,” he said softly and Kagome closed her eyes briefly at the endearment, wishing that he’d call her by her name instead of that too affectionate nickname. It indicated that they had a relationship, and Kagome didn’t develop those with boys she’d just met the very same day. It wasn’t proper.

 

He paused and Kagome could hear the concern in his voice. “Is something wrong?” He raised a hand to brush her bangs out of her eyes and involuntarily Kagome flinched; he dropped his hand.

 

Sucking in a breath, Kagome shook her head and finally lifted her gaze to lock eyes with him. She smiled apologetically and his face softened as he smiled back, once more reaching out to brush her bangs out of her eyes. She let him. “I’m fine,” she finally answered and he looked skeptical for a moment before nodding and slipping his arm around her shoulders. Once again Kagome let him and the two started for the staircase; school was done and it was time to go home.

 

“Sorry I wasn’t here to take you to your other classes,” Inuyasha said once they were outside and Kagome wondered if he was going to escort her home, too. She hoped he didn’t; it would be too difficult to explain to Father.

 

Kagome waited for an explanation but none came after several seconds of silence.

 

“It’s alright, Inuyasha,” she said and he frowned but didn’t correct her this time. “They were easy enough to find.”

 

He nodded. “Good.” A car horn blaring had Kagome whipping her head around to find Miroku grinning cheekily from the passenger seat of a 2016 four door red F-150. He waved, and then laid on the horn again and Kagome could see Sango in the back seat no doubt berating the black-haired human for his obnoxious behavior. It looked like he wouldn’t be walking her home, after all, Kagome thought with guilty relief.

 

Inuyasha chuckled and shook his head, then turned to Kagome and shrugged in a “what can ya do?” manner. “Looks like I’m being summoned, so I’m gonna have to cut our rendezvous short. Parting is such sweet sorrow,” he sighed dramatically and winked at her; against her better judgment, a smile worked its way onto her lips. The half-demon beamed at her, glad he was able to get a smile out of his beautiful babydoll. Maybe he was imagining her earlier distant behavior?

 

“I guess so,” she murmured as she stared almost…longingly at his truck at its occupants.

 

Inuyasha cocked a brow but deigned not to comment. Soon enough she’d be joining his two friends in his truck as he dropped each of them off at their respective house. That is if everything went as he hoped; he was inexplicably drawn to the beautiful brown-eyed schoolgirl and he wanted her to be as close to him as he was to Miroku and Sango. He even found himself hoping that they’d get even closer someday. She was everything he wanted and the complete opposite of his ex-girlfriend. Inuyasha realized that she was probably overwhelmed with the attention he was giving her and no doubt confused as all hell with a million questions flying around in her pretty head. He had to give her credit; she was taking it all in stride and hadn’t asked a single question about his behavior toward her, and he was grateful. He couldn’t explain why he was so attentive; it was just the way he was when he wanted to make a new friend. Of course, his actions toward Kagome were slightly different from the friendly sort as he was hoping to get more out of their relationship. But for now, he’d take it slow. He could be patient when he wanted to be, and Kagome Higurashi was definitely worth the wait.

 

Resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her and gather her to him in a bone-crushing hug because he didn’t want to leave her –parting really _was_ sweet sorrow – Inuyasha instead settled for a gentle kiss on the forehead – or at least attempted to since Kagome chose that moment to turn her head and cough delicately into her hand. His lips hit her temple instead. He pulled back, trying not to look too disappointed, and shrugged it off. It was just poor timing.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, babydoll,” he said fondly and before he could stop himself he lifted a clawed hand and tenderly brushed his thumb across her soft cheek. Her deep coffee-colored orbs widened and an endearing blush colored her cheeks a becoming red. Inuyasha grinned, winked at her and then gave a two-fingered solute before turning and jogging toward his vehicle with his two friends still bickering inside it.

 

Kagome watched, still blushing, as he got in the driver’s side, revved it up, and drove toward the exit as Miroku and Sango waved at her through the open windows. She timidly waved back.

 

**-X-**

Walking through the door of her family’s averaged size three bedroom apartment, Kagome sighed tiredly as she toed off her shoes and set her school things down on the dining room table. Without preamble she padded to the kitchen and started taking out the necessary ingredients for dinner; a simple stir fry tonight since she didn’t feel like making anything extravagant. Hopefully her father wouldn’t mind. She realized she still had about an hour and a half until he arrived home from work, but her father liked to eat when he got home, so she figured she’d get it all made up now and just reheat it a few minutes before he walked through the door, which would be at approximately 5:07 pm.

 

She was just boiling up the water for the rice when a boyish voice called her name from behind her and she turned around to smile at her younger brother.

  
“Souta,” she greeted as he climbed the center island and sat on the counter. Kagome walked over and fondly ruffled her brother’s hair; he giggled and pushed her hand away. “How was your first day?”

 

Souta shrugged and grabbed a banana from the basket on the island; Kagome let him since it was a healthy snack and wasn’t likely to ruin his appetite for dinner. “It was alright. My teachers are cool, and a made a few friends.” He took a bite of the yellow fruit after peeling it.

 

Kagome smiled, genuinely happy that her younger brother had a successful first day. “That’s good to hear, Souta! I’m sure you’ll make much more.” Tossing some strips of beef and various vegetables into a frying pan, the teenager splashed some oil on top and turned on the heat.

 

“How ‘bout you?” Souta asked around a mouthful of banana and she threw him a reproachful look. He grimaced and swallowed, smiling apologetically.

 

Rolling her eyes, Kagome sighed and rummaged through the cupboards to get her brother a glass for some milk. “It was fine,” she said and retrieved the beverage from the fridge. Hmm, they were almost out. She’d have to go grocery shopping soon. “I met a few people. My professors are okay, I suppose. One of them forgets he’s teaching in the middle of the lesson and that pretty much marks the end of the period.” Souta laughed at that and she poured him some milk and set on the island next to him before putting the beverage away. There was enough left for one more glassful.

 

“Didja make any friends?” he asked and took a gulp of his milk. Kagome took the banana peel and tossed it out.

 

Making a face, Kagome stirred meat and veggies as a face in particular flashed before her mind’s eye, one with golden eyes and a heart-stopping smile. “Uh…I’m not sure,” she finally replied, glad her back was to her brother so he couldn’t see her blush.

 

“How can you not be sure? You either did or you didn’t,” Souta remarked with a shrug and Kagome wished she had his simple logic. Ah, to be that young again…

 

Kagome sighed and absently dumped some rice into the now boiling water. “I…guess I did.” Miroku and Sango she could consider friends…but she had absolutely no idea what Inuyasha was to her.

 

“Cool,” her brother said then hopped down from the counter and started for the living room, where his Xbox was hooked up to the television.

 

Without taking her eyes off the task at hand, Kagome called out, “I trust your homework is done?”

 

The brown-eyed teenager smirked when she heard a groan and couldn’t stop the snicker from escaping as her little brother abruptly switched directions and stomped toward his bedroom.

 

A half an hour later, dinner was done and sitting on the stove, waiting to be reheated, and Kagome spent the next forty-five minutes cleaning up her mess, setting the table, turning the coffee maker on and getting a head start on her homework. She was in the middle of her math assignment when the apartment door opened and in walked her father carrying a briefcase and already shrugging out of his coat. It had cooled down considerably after Kagome got home.

 

Kagome got up from her spot on the couch, stretched, and headed into the other room to greet her father as was customary. “Welcome home, Father,” she said fondly and obediently took hold of his briefcase when he gestured for her to take it.

 

“Good evening, Kagome,” he said gruffly as he hung up his coat on the back of the door and took of his shoes. He headed into the kitchen and Kagome disappeared briefly to take his briefcase into his office before joining him. “Where’s Souta?” He lifted the lid off of dinner and nodded in approval. Kagome had put the heat back on about ten minutes before he arrived.

 

“Right here, Father,” her younger brother announced as he walked in the room and the older man smiled down at him, reaching out to ruffle his hair just as Kagome had earlier. Souta smiled, but didn’t push his hand away like he did hers.

 

“There’s my boy,” he said and sat down at the head of the table as his daughter brought dinner over and gave him a healthy helping before filling Souta’s and her plate. “How was school, Souta?” Kai Higurashi immediately dug in and hummed in appreciation.

 

“It was good,” the boy said and repeated what he’d told Kagome earlier. Souta received the last glass of milk and gave her father a hot cup of coffee, just the way he liked it. She grabbed a bottled water for herself.

 

“Good, good,” Kai murmured and waited until Kagome had finally seated herself before questioning her. “And you, Kagome?” He took a sip of coffee and nodded once again in approval. He didn’t know what he’d do without his daughter.

 

Said girl explained her day in a nutshell, however she was careful to exclude anything involving Inuyasha; Kagome knew her father frowned upon any boys giving his perfect daughter any attention, be it wanted or superfluous. And she had a feeling that he would greatly disapprove of the half-demon teenager for reasons the schoolgirl didn’t want to delve into.

 

The rest of dinner went about in the same manner, Kai asking his children various questions about school and Kagome inquiring about how his work was progressing. Afterward, as Kagome started clean up, Kai poured himself another cup of coffee and muttered something about being in his office, when Souta stopped him and asked if he could play his Xbox; he promised he’d be really quiet.

 

Kai studied his son for a moment and arched a brow. “Is your homework done?”

 

“Yes, Father.”

 

He nodded. “Then yes. But I don’t want to hear it; it’ll distract me from my work.”

 

“Of course, Father. Thanks!” With a grin, Souta gave him a brief hug then beat feet for the living room, diving in front of the TV and wasting no time in setting his game up.

 

Shaking his head at his son’s antics, Kai disappeared down the hall and into his office, leaving Kagome to finish cleaning up by herself. It didn’t take her long, since she’d done the majority before he got home. All she had to do was load the dishwasher with their dirty dishes and wash the two pans and she was done.

 

So fifteen minutes later Kagome had gathered her things from the living room and closed herself off in her room, not wanting Souta’s video game to distract her from her homework. But not even ten minutes had passed and her mind was beginning to wander as she idly tapped her pencil against her notebook, leaning her head on her hand as she stared at a framed picture perched on her nightstand.

 

A small, sad smile made its way to her lips and she stood up, math forgotten, as she grabbed the precious picture in her hand and sat down on her bed. Tenderly she trailed her fingers down the smooth glass and bit her lip, already feeling the familiar prickling sensation behind her eyes. Her throat tightened and her lips parted on a harsh exhale.

 

Staring back at her was a beautiful woman perhaps in her mid-forties, with short hair and bright brown eyes the exact shade as Kagome’s. A brilliant smile stretched across her face as she held out her arms in front of her, as if waiting for someone to jump into them and get the hug of a lifetime.

 

A sob broke free and Kagome closed her eyes as tears she was unable to hold back flowed down her cheeks.

 

“Mama…I miss you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kikyou will be playing a larger role in the story in later chapters, so this isn’t the last you’ve seen of her. Haha. Also, I am aware that in Japan, it is called “maths” however I’m not a fan of that spelling because it just seems weird and awkward to me so I’m going to continue to call it “math.” Please don’t correct me.


	6. Chapter 6

Inuyasha walked through the elegant double doors of his manor, having already dropped Miroku and Sango off at their houses, and just like every day when he came home from school, he was greeted by excited barks and claws scraping across the marble tile of the foyer as Pepper*, his large German Shepherd and Husky mix skidded around the corner and barreled straight toward him, tongue lolling out and tail wagging a mile a minute.

 

The half-demon had just enough time to drop his pack before he was quite literally knocked on his ass by forty pounds of enthusiastic canine and a second later his face was getting an impromptu bath.

 

“Hello to you, too, Pepper,” Inuyasha grunted, but not without a smile as he allowed his dog to slobber all over him for a minute before shoving her off of him and sitting up to scratch the mixed breed behind the ears. Tail still wagging ferociously, Pepper pushed her head into his hand, eliciting a chuckle, and then her owner pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off. Mismatched eyes stared adoringly up at him, one green while the other one was a clear blue.

 

Inuyasha loved his dog, and he had no doubt in his mind that she loved him just as much. He’d had Pepper ever since she was a little pup when he’d gotten her as a birthday gift when he was seven, so in a sense they grew up together. She was a lot like him, coming from two different breeds of dog, while he was from two different worlds of people.

 

Inuyasha’s ear twitched and he lifted his gaze to stare into the other room. Pepper’s ears snapped forward and she turned around expectantly from whence she came. A high pitch squealing sound was slowly but surely gaining volume as the culprit producing the sound careened from the other side of the manor into the foyer.

 

A wide smile split across Inuyasha’s face and he spread his arms out. “Rinnie!”

 

“ _Yashie!_ ” For the second time, the half-demon was bowled over but this time he managed to stay on his feet, catching the little girl as she threw herself at him and using her momentum to spin her around, his ears flattening as another delighted squeal echoed throughout the foyer.

 

Laughing, the silver-haired teenager stopped spinning and propped her against his hip, wrapping one arm around her as he bent down to grab his discarded backpack. Rin slapped a wet kiss to his cheek and he returned the gesture. She giggled.

 

“Is Sess home?” He walked further into the manor, Pepper at his heels, until he reached the kitchen, where he deposited his niece onto the center island and went to go raid the fridge.

 

Rin swung her legs back and forth as she watched her uncle and shook her head. “No, he’s still at work.”

 

Inuyasha frowned and looked over his shoulder at her. “Is Kaede here?” Rin’s nanny, Kaede, lived here with them since they had more than enough room and it was convenient for her as well since she was elderly and didn’t like to travel.

 

His niece nodded and relieved, he went back to rummaging around the fridge, delighted to find that Kaede made those little sandwiches he loved so much. With a noise of appreciation, he pulled out the plate holding them, grabbed a soda for himself and a juice box for Rin, before closing the door with his hip and going back over to the island. Setting the plate next to his eight year old niece, he shoved a sandwich in his mouth, handed the juice box to the little girl and popped open his soda.

 

Rin giggled at his food-gasm face and sipped from her juice, happy that her uncle was finally home from school. It was lonely with just her nanny around. She loved Kaede, of course, but she was old and didn’t have as much energy as herself.

 

“Ah, I was wondering why you took off in such a hurry, Rin,” came a woman’s voice from the entrance and said half-demon craned his neck around to see Kaede amble in with a smile on her weathered face.

 

Shrugging, the teenager nodded and took a gulp of his drink. “What can I say? I attract the ladies like white on rice.” He winked at Rin and she giggled again. “When’s Sess gonna be home?”

 

“He said he would try to be home by 4:30 this afternoon. The new intern keeps making mistakes and as such it is his job to fix them.”

 

Inuyasha snickered and finished off his sandwich. “Sucks for him. Can’t he just fire her a—uh, butt?” He tried to watch his language around his niece; if she went repeating any of what he said around her Papa, there would be hell to pay.

 

Kaede sent him a look that stated she knew what word he was going to use – he sent her an innocent smile and she shook her head, amused – and continued the rest of the way into the kitchen. “How was school today, Inuyasha?”

 

The golden-eyed hanyou shrugged again and offered a bite of his second sandwich to Rin. “It was alright.” He paused and smiled when she took a huge bite and grinned at him. He made a stupid face at her and she had to clap her hands over her mouth so chewed up sandwich didn’t go flying everywhere. “…I met a girl today.”

 

The old woman arched a brow as a smile tilted her lips upward. “Oh?”

 

“Mm.”

 

Wide-eyed, Rin hastily chewed what was left of the large bite she’d taken and swallowed. “Really, Yashie? You met a girl?!”

 

“Sure did, squirt. Her name is Kagome.”

 

Squirming in delight, Rin clasped her hands together and her eyes sparkled at him. “Is she pretty?”

 

Chuckling, Inuyasha laid his hand on her head and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Tell ya what, kiddo. Why don’t you go get me a pencil and paper and you can see for yourself if she’s pretty.”

 

Immediately Rin squealed, hopped off of the counter and zoomed out of the room to fetch the required items.

 

“Such a ball of energy,” Kaede commented with an amused smile and Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

 

“You ain’t kiddin’.”

 

“So, this Kagome girl,” the elderly woman began and the teenager narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. She ignored it. “How did you meet her?”

 

Deciding that was a normal enough question, Inuyasha finished off his soda before replying. “Some asshole nearly took her out with a door and knocked her off her feet. I helped her up.”

 

Kaede shot him a look for his language, but let it pass since Rin wasn’t present. “I see. Was she all right?”

 

“Yeah. I showed her where her classes were and introduced her to Mir and San.”

 

Her eyebrows rose. “It seems you must really like this girl, if you are introducing your closest friends to her.” She smiled knowingly and Inuyasha blushed.

 

“Keh. Shut up, ya old woman,” he said but there was a note of affection in his words and Kaede wasn’t offended. She was used to his mannerisms.

 

“Yashie, I’m back! I have a pencil and piece of paper!” Rin darted back into the kitchen and proudly displayed the asked for items in her hands, walking over to the island and standing on her tip toes to try and set them down. A second later familiar clawed hands snagged her tiny waist and lifted her up, setting her once again on the marble counter top. Beaming, his niece made herself comfortable and stared expectantly up at him.

 

Chuckling, the teenager pretended to push up his non-existent sleeves and grabbed the pencil while pulling the sheet of blank printer paper toward him. She must have gotten them from his brother’s office. Without a word, Inuyasha bent down and started sketching, his hand expertly flowing across the paper and he didn’t even notice as Kaede leaned over his shoulder, interested, to watch the progress. Rin’s eyes flicked between his face and the one slowly coming to life on the paper, her mouth in a small “o” shape. She always loved to watch her uncle draw. His drawings were so life like and amazing and she hoped one day she could be as good as him!

 

Golden eyes remained on the task at hand, a small frown of concentration furrowing the space between his eyebrows as the pencil, an extension of his hand, continued to bring to life the face in his mind’s eye. A small, cute nose, full lips spread into a gorgeous smile and dark, luscious hair that he knew from experience was as soft as it looked. And finally he paid the most attention to her eyes, big blue pools full of innocence and wonder, glinting with an emotion Inuyasha hadn’t meant to portray but it was there, staring back at him and a soft smile curled the corners of his mouth upward.

 

 _Kagome…_ he thought, unaware of the third set of eyes that had just walked into the room. He was penciling in the last finishing touches here and there, shading in what needed it, making the drawing perfect, and generally forgetting he even had an audience. Without even thinking about it he made a faint outline of her neck and shoulders, the pencil strokes becoming lighter at the beginning of her arms until they faded altogether.

 

“She is beautiful.”

 

“Papa!”

 

The unexpected voice drew Inuyasha out of his trance and he blinked, shaking his head. He lifted his head to find his brother, arms full with his exuberant daughter, standing next to Kaede, eyes identical to his own staring down at the drawing with approval. He fought the urge to blush.

 

“She _is_ pretty,” Rin agreed. She couldn’t wait to meet this Kagome girl! She looked really nice, too. Maybe they could play together some time? They could play dress up and put make up on and play princess Barbies and have fun!

 

“Uh,” Inuyasha said intelligently and straightened up, looking back down at his completed drawing. “Keh.” Almost absently, to avoid his brother’s knowing gaze, he wrote the girl’s name in elegant handwriting at the top of the paper, bolding the letters before scrawling his name and the date at the bottom corner.

 

“Kagome,” his brother read. “A new friend?”

 

“Yeah,” Inuyasha said softly, staring once more into the drawing’s eyes and wishing they were the real thing. It was then that the half-demon realized that his older brother was indeed home, not at work, and he blinked, frowning as he again lifted his head to lock gazes with the older demon. “Wait a minute. I thought you weren’t supposed to be home till 4:30? It’s only four.”

 

Sesshomaru shrugged. “I got bored.” Then he turned around, Rin still in his arms and chatting a mile a minute about how her day had gone, and disappeared out of the kitchen.

 

“Must be nice,” Inuyasha muttered and Kaede chuckled, patting the hanyou fondly on the arm before leaving as well, no doubt to go relax in her room since her charge’s father was finally home.

 

The silver-haired teenager watched her go before once again dropping his eyes down to the piece of paper on the counter. He tilted his head, studying the drawing, and had to admit that it was one of his better pieces. He’d put a lot of detail in the sketch, especially the eyes, he noted, and he was quite proud with how it turned out. Inuyasha didn’t want to contemplate exactly why he’d made her eyes so expressive or the way he’d made her cupid-bow lips so damned kissable (actually, he _did_ know but refused to admit it aloud) but what he _did_ know was that a drawing could never compare to the real thing and for the first time in years, he couldn’t wait to go back to school tomorrow.

 

“Keh.” With a warm, fond smile, Inuyasha picked up his master piece, admired it for another minute, then grabbed his bag and started for the stairs, Pepper loyally trotting at his side. He knew the perfect home for this particular drawing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pepper is fashioned after my German Shepherd Husky mix I had when I was young, maybe when I was four or so (can’t remember). I loved her to death and was devastated when we had to give her away because she was too big for our small home. I miss her.


	7. Chapter 7

Inuyasha burst out of his room with an exuberant Pepper hot on his heels, barking up a storm and wagging her tail wildly in response to her owner’s excitement as they dashed for the stairs. With a whoop, the half-demon hopped onto the railing and slid his way downstairs while his dog used the actual stairs. “Hey!” the silver-haired teen shouted with a laugh when the mixed breed skipped some steps in order to beat his owner to the first floor. Inuyasha landed with a thud on the hardwood and gave his pet a narrowed eyed look. “You cheater.”

 

Pepper blinked, titled her head and woofed softly at him while wagging her tail.

 

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha shook his head with a chuckle and scrubbed his hand against her head, scratching behind her ears. “Can’t stay mad at you, babygirl. C’mon, let’s get some noms.” The teen headed for the kitchen with a bounce in his step, a secret smile curling the corners of his lips as Pepper followed dutifully beside him. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so excited to get to school. He even woke up earlier than normal, took an unusually long shower and dressed like he actually cared for once. Hell, the golden-eyed teen even used his favorite cologne, the one he only reserved for special occasions. He hoped his babydoll liked it.

 

Entering the kitchen, Pepper immediately beelined it for her food dish that Kaede had undoubtedly already filled while Inuyasha rummaged around in the cabinet for some Poptarts. He was picking up Miroku and Sango today so he couldn’t sit down and enjoy a good breakfast. Plus, the sooner he got to school, he sooner he could see his babydoll.

 

“Good morning, Inuyasha,” Kaede greeted as she shuffled into the kitchen.

 

“Damn right it is!” the teenager returned before shoving half a strawberry Poptart into his mouth.

 

Kaede arched her brows. “And what has you in such a good mood this morning?” She wandered around the kitchen, gathering ingredients and dishes to prepare Rin’s favorite breakfast of French toast and scrambled eggs.

 

“Nohgh reashong,” he answered around a mouthful of Poptart.

 

“Charming,” Kaede deadpanned and he swallowed before grinning boyishly at her. The nanny chuckled.

 

“Gotta bounce, Kaede. Toodles!”

 

“Have a good day, Inuyasha.”

 

Chomping down on more strawberry goodness, Inuyasha picked up his backpack that he never used from the floor on his way to the front door and was just crossing through the dining room when Sesshomaru appeared out of freaking nowhere and called out for him to wait a minute.

 

Pausing, the younger brother turned his head and blinked at the older demon, frowning in confusion. “The hell did you come from?”

 

Sesshomaru raised a single eyebrow. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

 

Inuyasha stared at him for a moment and then made a face. “You’re twisted.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“Did you want something? I gotta go pick up Mir and San.” He took another bite of his breakfast.

 

The older brother studied him for a moment before replying. “I got a call yesterday.”

 

“Congratulations?”

 

“From your principal.”

 

The half-demon stiffened and looked away. “…Oh.”

 

“Do you have anything to say other than ‘oh’?”

 

Inuyasha hiked his bag – the one he never used – onto his shoulder. “Nope.”

 

Sesshomaru sighed and crossed his arms. “Inuyasha, I do hope you realize that if this continues for much longer you will end up repeating the year. I dare say your professors are at their wit’s end putting up with you for two years.”

 

Inuyasha snorted his opinion of that and glared at the wall, remaining silent.

 

Frowning at his brother’s stubborn silence, the older dog demon continued to push the subject, determined to get through his younger brother’s thick skull. “The only reason you haven’t been suspended is because we have close ties with the Oogami family and even then it takes a bit of persuasion to get Principal Oogami to bend the rules a little so you can continue going to school and use those opportunities to change your act and actually make an effort. Ms. Oogami is putting her career on the line for you, little brother, the least you can do is make it worth it for her.” His voice was laced with a bit of ire there at the end that he wasn’t able to hold back. Why was his little brother so damned stubborn?!

 

When he still didn’t get a reaction from the half-demon, Sesshomaru decided that different approach might work better. Taking a calming breath, the full dog demon regarded Inuyasha steadily. Now, what was that name he scrawled on his drawing…? Ah yes. “…What about your friends, Inuyasha? Surely Miroku and Sango would want to see you succeed. And, that girl…what was her name? Kagome. Don’t you want her to be proud of you as well?”

 

Obviously that had been the right thing to say because _that_ certainly drew his attention. Inuyasha’s ears shot straight up and he whipped his head around to glower at his older brother. “Leave babydoll outta this.”

 

Sesshomaru’s eyebrows shot up into the fringe of his bangs. “Babydoll?” A frown marred his features as his golden eyes narrowed slightly. “Inuyasha, you do remember what happened the last time you got close enough to a girl—”

 

“Of course I do, you asshole! I’m not fucking stupid!”

 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that because _smart_ people actually go to school and attend their classes, you dimwitted fool!”

 

“Keh! Just like you to rub it in my face that you’re a college graduate and your _half-breed_ little brother is a fucking failure at school _and_ at life because he can’t even save his own goddamn mother from dying and _leaving me behind!_ ”

 

Sesshomaru drew back like he had been slapped and his eyes grew wide. He had no idea that’s how his younger brother had been feeling. “Inuyasha—”

 

“No, fuck you, Sesshomaru! I don’t know how you can fucking stand there and lecture me about school of all things when _our mother_ just fucking _died_ not even two months ago and it’s like you don’t even fucking care! She may not have been your real mom, you stupid bastard, but she treated you like her son in every sense of the word and yet you have the fucking balls to act like you don’t even give a rat’s ass while _I’m_ here in this fucking hell hole we call life, having to wake up every goddamn day and trying not to break apart knowing that the only person in this fucking world that mattered to me the most is gone and there’s not a _fucking thing_ _that I can do about it!_ ”

 

Inuyasha was screaming by the end of his tirade and he was breathing heavily now, glaring heatedly at the older dog demon and his hands were balled into tight fists, his knuckles white and blood seeping through his fingers from where his claws had dug into his palms.

 

Sesshomaru was stunned into silence, amber eyes slightly wide and mouth parted in astonishment. How long had his little brother been holding all of this in? Earlier frustration turned to concern and he took a step forward, eyes flicking to his bloodied hands. “Inuyasha—”

 

“Go to Hell, you insensitive asshole!” With that, Inuyasha turned on his heel and exited the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

 

Sesshomaru flinched and released a heavy sigh. Well shit. That hadn’t gone exactly as he’d planned.

 

_I don’t think I will ever understand you, little brother._


	8. Chapter 8

Kagome’s alarm went off at exactly six o’clock AM and sleepily she reached over to her nightstand to fumble around until she managed to switch it off. She’d always hated that annoying beeping sound, but refused to change it to music because it served its purpose in waking her up. She had a feeling the music option wouldn’t motivate her enough to get up.

 

Getting out of bed, the raven haired teenager started her morning routine, going to the bathroom to brush her teeth, take a quick shower then back to her room to don the outfit she’d picked out the night before, a knee length navy blue skirt and a gray sweater. She brushed out her hair before pulling on her stockings, grabbing her bag and heading downstairs to prepare breakfast. Kagome was always the first one up in the mornings and it was her responsibility to make the morning meal for her father and younger brother. Kagome didn’t mind getting up early and doing this for them; she found comfort in the silent mornings and enjoyed cooking as well. She was good at it and always relished the looks on her family’s faces as they dug in.

 

Putting on a pot of coffee first thing, she scurried about the kitchen, grabbing the necessary dishes and food stuffs to make sausage and eggs and making sure to pop some bread in the toaster for Souta. Pretty soon the delicious aroma of coffee and sausage permeated the small kitchen and Kagome smiled, listening as the meat sizzled and popped in the frying pan. Her father would be down soon, no doubt, the temptation of freshly brewed coffee too much to resist.

 

Right on time, as Kagome predicted it would every morning, Souta’s toast popped up from the toaster and she placed those on a plate with some scrambled eggs after slathering some butter on them, just how he liked it. With Souta’s breakfast complete, she poured him a glass of orange juice and set his breakfast on the table, ready for when he came downstairs which wouldn’t be long. It was almost seven.

 

Just as she was putting her father’s eggs and sausage on a plate, said man entered the kitchen freshly showered and donned in his business suit. “Smells delicious, Kagome.” He nodded in approval and sat down, the morning newspaper already on the table waiting for him, courtesy of his daughter. She really did think of everything, didn’t she? He didn’t know what he’d do without her.

 

“Good morning, Father,” Kagome greeted with a small bow before placing his breakfast in front of him along with a cup of coffee. “Did you sleep well?”

 

“Yes, I did, thank you.” Mr. Higurashi took a sip of his coffee; perfect, just like his daughter. He smiled.

 

“Good morning, sis. Morning, Father.” A bleary eyed Souta shuffled into the kitchen, yawning widely. He plopped down into his chair and gulped down his orange juice first before chomping down on his toast and eggs.

 

Kagome smiled at her younger brother and poured some more OJ for him. “Good morning, Souta.” She suddenly giggled and ruffled his hair. “Nice bed head.”

 

“Shuddup,” he mumbled, ducking out from her assault and Kagome giggled once more before getting her own helping and sitting down between her brother and father.

 

Kai frowned behind his coffee mug. “I trust you’ll be brushing out your hair before going to school, Souta. No son of mine will be showing up looking like he just rolled out of bed.” The eldest Higurashi gave the boy an expectant look.

 

Souta blushed and straightened in his chair. “Yes, Father. I will.”

 

Kai nodded. “Good.” With that, he took a bite of his eggs and went back to reading the newspaper.

 

Properly chastised, Souta silently ate his breakfast while Kagome picked at hers, not particularly hungry this morning. She made sure to eat enough to satisfy her Father, however. The last time she hadn’t been hungry and had barely touched her food, Kai had lectured that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and if she didn’t eat properly she wouldn’t have the energy to give it her all in school and get good grades. It wouldn’t do for his perfect daughter to get anything less than A’s.

 

After having eating all she could, Kagome stood up, scraped her plate into the garbage and went about cleaning up, washing dishes and putting away the orange juice. About ten minutes later, Kai finished up his coffee and stood up, grabbing the newspaper and rolling it up to finish reading it during lunch. “I’m off, Kagome, Souta. Do your best at school and I’ll be home my usual time. Oh, thank you, Kagome.” He took the offered travel mug of coffee with a grateful smile.

 

“Bye, Father. Have a good day at work,” his children said at the same time and watched as he grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door.

 

“I gotta go, too,” Souta said before drinking the rest of his OJ. “Some of my teachers want me to see them early so they can get me up to date on the subject matter.”

 

“Alright. Don’t forget to brush your hair,” Kagome reminded as she took her father’s and Souta’s plate to put in the dishwasher.

 

“’Kay,” he said before dashing back upstairs to comb out his hair real quick and grab his bag.

 

Kagome smiled and shook her head as she watched him go. _Must be nice,_ she thought then went back to cleaning up.

 

“Later, sis!” Souta called as he zoomed past the kitchen on his way to the front door.

 

“Bye, Souta! Have a good day!” The door slamming in his wake was her answer and she chuckled.

 

Figuring she ought to head out early too since there was no point in staying, the brown-eyed teenager washed off the table and counters, turned off the coffee maker and grabbed her messenger bag on her way to the door. She stepped into her penny loafers, slung her bag over her shoulder and exited the apartment, making sure to lock up before heading to school.

 

When she stepped outside, she instantly regretted not grabbing her coat because the wind was brisk and even though she was wearing a sweater, goosebumps erupted on her arms. It was too late to go back and get it though so she continued on, a slight frown marring her features. Hunching her shoulders, Kagome wrapped her arms around herself to try and conserve warmth, but it wasn’t doing much good. And she had at least another fifteen minutes of walking before she got to the school. Wonderful.

 

Kagome was cursing her stupidity and wondering why her school had to be so far away, a car horn suddenly sounded beside her and she jumped a foot in the air. She paused and looked over to see a sleek sky blue sedan had pulled up beside her and through the rolled down window, Kagome could see sandy brown hair framing a familiar, friendly face.

 

“Higurashi!” Houjo Ueda waved and smiled at her from the driver’s seat. “Would you like a ride to school? It’s pretty cold out this morning.”

 

Kagome blinked and hesitated. “Oh, hello Houjo. It’s okay, I can walk—”

 

“Nonsense, Higurashi. It’s pretty windy this morning and you don’t have a coat. Besides, I don’t want you to catch a cold.” The brown eyed boy beamed at her and Kagome bit her lip. Houjo truly did seem like he cared for her wellbeing, and she _was_ cold…

 

Giving in, Kagome offered a timid smile and nodded before opening the passenger door and sliding in. “Thanks, Houjo. I really appreciate it.” She fastened her seat belt as he pulled away from the curb and merged into traffic.

 

“Oh, it’s no problem at all, Higurashi. That’s what friends are for, right? ” he answered with a shy smile, his cheeks flushed a soft pink. “When I saw you, I just couldn’t help myself. You really ought to grab a coat next time, though. Your health is important and you never know when the weather will take a nose dive.”

 

Kagome blushed and ducked her head. “R-right. I’ll remember that.”

 

The rest of the drive to school was mostly filled with the two of them chatting amicably back and forth, however Houjo did most of the talking. He didn’t seem to mind, though, so Kagome let him, happy to just smile and nod when appropriate. Houjo was a nice boy, and she liked him well enough, but he did seem a bit plain, in her opinion.

 

Five minutes later, Houjo was pulling into the student’s parking lot and maneuvering his car into a spot close to the school. They were early enough where most of the good spots hadn’t been taken yet. Amid them were an expensive looking Mercedes, a motorcycle, and a familiar red truck.

 

Kagome blinked. _Isn’t that—?_

 

The car door opening interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see Houjo smiling down at her. She blushed and unbuckled her seatbelt before getting up, shouldering her bag once more.

 

“Are you okay, Higurashi?” Houjo asked. “You looked a little spaced out a second ago.”

 

Wrapping her arms around herself again – she missed the heat of Houjo’s car – Kagome smiled. “I’m fine. I guess I’m just not awake yet,” she lied and laughed it off, hoping he’d buy it.

 

He did and suddenly he looked a little sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking off to the side. “Uh, I can carry your bag for you if you want, Higurashi,” he offered with a shy smile, his cheeks tinted a soft pink.

 

Flushing herself, Kagome waved it off. “Oh, no, it’s okay Houjo, I can carry it. But thank you. It-it was nice of you to ask.” She offered a timid smile in return and he jerked his head once.

 

They both headed for the school, silent, and Kagome was starting to feel a little awkward when Houjo cleared his throat suddenly and looked a bit pensive. She glanced at him expectantly, head tilted to the side.

 

“Listen, Higurashi,” he started slowly, choosing his words carefully. “I’ve noticed that you’re hanging around Yamaguchi a lot since you’ve been here and I want to warn you about him.”

 

Kagome frowned. “Warn me? But he’s been nothing but nice to me.”

 

Houjo nodded. “Yes, while he does appear to be a nice guy on the outside…” He grimaced and suddenly stopped walking to face her, causing Kagome to stop as well and look at him quizzically. “He’s got quite a reputation of…the playboy variety and he’s an unlit fuse, and anything can set him off. His temper—”

 

“Kagome?”

 

Houjo snapped his mouth shut and girt his teeth together. “Speak of the devil,” he muttered but offered a stiff smile to the object of their discussion as he drew near. Inuyasha frowned at him. Turning back to the chocolate-eyed young woman, Houjo’s smile melted into a genuine one but his eyes begged her to be cautious. “I’ll see you around, Higurashi. Let me know if you want a ride home, okay?” Before she could answer, he turned and headed toward the school where his friends spotted him and soon joined him.

 

Kagome watched him go with a puzzled frown, wondering what he was going to say about Inuyasha’s temper. But she didn’t get the chance to dwell on it any further because the aforementioned half-demon was drawing her attention by calling her name. She blinked and focused her attention on the silver-haired teenager who immediately smiled. She couldn’t help but smile back; his attitude was contagious, she mused, always wanting to smile whenever he graced her with one. Without realizing what she was doing, she gave him a once over and couldn’t deny that she liked what she saw. He had baggy white washed jeans on that looked like they had just been bought from the store and his ever present Timberland’s adorned his feet. Today he was wearing a plan red tee-shirt with a brown open button down shirt thrown over it and his leather jacket completed the look.

 

“Mornin’, babydoll,” he said brightly and swung an arm around her shoulders. Strangely Kagome had been expecting that and didn’t flinch. “Miss me?” He grinned down at her and a flush stole across her cheeks. _So beautiful,_ he thought and wondered how far down that blush went…

 

“Good-good morning, Inuyasha.”

 

He sighed. “It’s Yash.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

Shaking his head, Inuyasha tucked her into his side and steered her toward the school when he felt the girl under his arm shiver slightly and he frowned, looking down to find Kagome hugging herself and her shoulder’s hunched. His frown deepened and he withdrew his arm to turn her around to face him. “Kagome, why aren’t you wearing a coat? It’s chilly out today.”

 

Kagome bit her lip and looked down, avoiding his reproachful gaze. “I-I forgot it.”

 

“Kagome,” he said in a “what am I gonna do with you” tone of voice before shrugging out of his leather jacket and grabbing her bag to sling over his own shoulder. “Put it on.” He held his jacket out to her, his face telling her not to argue with him.

 

“But—”

 

“I ain’t got all day. ‘Sides, I don’t want you getting sick.” His expression softened and he gently tapped her nose with a clawed finger.

 

With a sigh, Kagome obediently took his jacket and pulled it on, immediately glad that she did as the warmth from his body heat seeped into her chilled form. A pleasant fragrance teased her nose and she sniffed the collar delicately, her eyes lighting up once she recognized the aroma. _Mmm…is that Boss?_

Inuyasha didn’t miss the way she sniffed his jacket and he fought to hold back from emitting a very smug grin. Hugo Boss cologne: Best. Purchase. Ever.

“Better?” he asked.

 

“Yes. Thank you,” she said softly and reached out toward her bag.

 

He caught her hand and held it. “Hands off. I’m carrying it.”

 

Kagome tried to tug her hand back. He tightened his grip and laced their fingers together, relishing in shade of scarlet that covered her face _. I should start keeping score of how many times I can make her blush,_ he mused idly, enjoying how soft and small her hand was against his own.

 

“But—but—it’s heavy,” she tried, pleading with him to give it back and Inuyasha just snorted.

 

“All the more reason for me to carry it. Now c’mon, or you’ll be late for first period.” With his hand linked with hers, he led her up the stone steps and into the building, ignoring the looks they received and growling quietly at some of the comments he could hear directed toward Kagome. A quick glare stifled most of them and he was glad Kagome couldn’t hear any of them. She was, however, aware of the stares and he flush deepened as she stared at the floor, biting down on her lip.

 

“Inuyasha, people are staring,” she hissed and once more tried to free her hand from his grasp.

 

He let go. “Let ‘em. They’re just jealous.” Before she could put some space between them, he snagged her around the waist and hauled her up against him. She gasped. “In-Inuyasha—”

 

Inuyasha groaned and stared down at her, exasperated. “Babydoll, why won’t you call me Yash? I’ve told you to like a million times.”

 

“B-because it’s not proper,” Kagome answered as she tried to shrink inside his jacket, her face a becoming shade of crimson. Inuyasha decided that he liked having her wear his jacket because she looked so goddamn cute in it.

 

“Proper? It’s just a nickname, Kagome, one that everybody calls me, and my _friends_ call me that, too. You’re my friend, babydoll, aren’t you?” He gave her his best puppy-eyed look and with his ears it didn’t take much to pull it off.

 

Kagome gaped at him. “I—I—”

 

He whined.

 

The raven-haired teenager caved with a heavy sigh of resignation and she pouted slightly. “Okay,” she said quietly. “If I call you that, will you give me back my bag?”

 

Grinning, Inuyasha nodded and waited expectantly, twitching his ears for extra effect.

 

As predicted, she blushed again. “Can I please have my bag back…Yash?”

 

His grin melted into a smile and he obediently handed it over. “That’s my girl,” he murmured and watched as she shouldered it with an embarrassed pout. He chuckled. God, she was adorable. “I gotta bounce, but I’ll see you later, alright? That’s a promise.” With an affectionate kiss to her forehead and one last smile, he turned heel and disappeared into the crowd of students.

 

“But…your jacket…” Kagome said weakly but it was too late; he was already gone. With a sigh, the young woman tugged the lapels closer and started for first period, the fragrance of Inuyasha’s cologne once more assaulting her senses as one thought repeated over and over in her mind.

 

_I don’t think I’ll ever understand you._


	9. Chapter 9

When Kagome arrived at her history class, still wearing Inuyasha’s jacket and wondering if it were at all possible to get high off of men’s cologne, all eyes turned to her and she flushed a deep red as she scurried over to her seat. She was a little later than normal so most her classmates had already taken their seats and were talking amongst themselves. Thankfully, though, Totosai was nowhere to be found so at least she wouldn’t be marked as tardy. Still, though, it wasn’t in Kagome’s nature to be late for _anything_ and just because she was saved this one time didn’t mean she could let down her guard. She’d have to step up her game and avoid any morning interactions with Inuyasha or Houjo if she wanted to be on time. Heaven forbid if her father ever found out she was late…

 

Her thought were interrupted when Totosai finally decided to make an appearance and Kagome pulled out her notebook to take notes. The rest of the class followed suit and the lesson began as the sound of chalk against the chalkboard filled the room. The next thirty minutes were uneventful with Totosai reading from the textbook and writing on the chalkboard when he received a phone call and he paused in his lesson to answer it. He listened silently, nodded a few times, then hung up and promptly left the room without a word, probably forgetting that he was in the middle of a lesson.

 

The students all shared a chuckle then started packing up; obviously class was over and with a sigh, Kagome put away her things, wondering if history would ever be a full period.

 

There was a pop quiz in economics, and Kagome was ready for it thanks to Inuyasha’s advice to read the chapters assigned. It wasn’t until she was on her way to biology when she saw the half-demon again; however it was through a window as she was walking down the hallway. Kagome paused and frowned in confusion as she stared out into the courtyard where she could see the aforementioned hanyou lounging in a gazebo with another boy who looked an awful lot like Miroku.

 

_What’s he doing out there? Doesn’t he have a class to get to?_

She continued to watch him and if it hadn’t been for Sango calling out her name Kagome probably would have stood there all morning wondering why he was outside.

 

“Oh…hi, Sango,” the raven-haired teenager said, finally tearing her gaze away to smile at her new friend.

 

Sango blinked. “Are you okay? You were just…standing there staring out the window.” She flicked her gaze in the direction Kagome had been staring in and her eyes widened slightly. _That idiot! What the hell is he doing, lazing about in plain sight?!_

“Um, Sango…why is Inuyasha—”

 

“Free period!” Sango blurted out, cutting Kagome off and she inwardly grimaced. _Way to go, genius._ “Uh, Inuyasha has a free period at this time and he likes to spend it in the courtyard.” _You owe me, you little bastard. I just saved your ass._

 

Kagome blinked. “Oh…but isn’t that Mir—”

 

“C’mon Kagome, we’d better get to biology if we don’t wanna be late!” With a wide smile, Sango threw her arm over her friend’s shoulder and steered her down the hallway toward their next class.

 

Her strategy to distract her worked because Kagome’s expression grew puzzled. “How’d you know I have bio next? And you’re in my class, too?”

 

Sango nodded down at the textbook in her arms in response to the first question, and then answered the second. “I wasn’t in class yesterday because I was in the nurse’s office with M…someone.” The two arrived at their next class and Kagome took the seat next to Sango, grateful that there was someone familiar in at least two of her classes now.

 

“By the way, Kagome,” Sango began and turned in her seat to face her friend. “Is that Yash’s jacket?”

 

Kagome blinked and looked down. “Oh…yes,” she muttered. She had gotten so used to its warmth and smell that she’d completely forgotten she was wearing it. “I forgot mine so he let me borrow it.” A soft blush stole across her cheeks as she averted her gaze, busying herself by pulling out her text and notebook.

 

“Uh _huh_ …” Sango said slowly, the corners of her lips quirking up.

 

Thankfully Kagome was spared from any further embarrassment as the professor strode in and promptly commanded the class to turn to the page where they had left off the day before. Gratefully Kagome obeyed and Sango followed suit albeit less eagerly.

 

The next forty-five minutes was filled with furious note taking and getting randomly called on to answer a question. Out of all her teachers, Kagome disliked Mrs. Krupski the most. She was strict, tough on her students, and apparently didn’t take pity on the new girl because Kagome was one of her favorites to call upon to answer a question. Thankfully she was able to give the correct answer every time though she had a feeling Krupski wasn’t all that impressed; she’d merely grunt softly then continue with her lesson, hard-faced and snappish.

 

So when class was finally dismissed, Kagome eagerly gathered up her things and beat feet out the door with Sango following close behind. They each stopped at their respective lockers to lighten their load then headed for PE, Kagome still wearing Inuyasha’s jacket as she intended to give it back afterward.

 

After changing – Kagome didn’t think she’d ever get used to these stupid shorts – the twosome entered the gymnasium where Sango was promptly called over by Mr. Shou and with a shrug she trotted off, leaving Kagome alone.

 

Inuyasha must still be changing or running late because she didn’t spot him anywhere and Miroku was nowhere to be seen either. Kagome bit her lip and stood there awkwardly as more students filed into the gym, the boys shamelessly flirting with the girls and some of her female classmates acting like _quite_ the—

 

“Fresh meat.”

 

Kagome jumped about a foot in the air and whirled around to find a pale boy about a head taller than her with wavy inky hair standing before her, his crimson eyes brazenly eyeing her up and down and an unpleasant shiver coursed down the length of Kagome’s spine. He had maybe a two inch cut on his forehead that looked to be about a day old and the right side of his jaw was discolored with a yellowish purple bruise. A slow, oily smile stretched across his face that the raven-haired girl _really_ didn’t like and instinctively she backed up a few steps but he followed her until her back was pressed against the wall.

 

“What-what do you want?” Kagome demanded, swallowing the lump in her throat and trying not to look as frightened as she actually was. This boy gave her the chills, not the good kind, and his dark chuckle sent a wave of foreboding crashing through her.

 

“You’re the bitch that Yamaguchi’s been following around like a little lost puppy,” he said and Kagome frowned. Bitch? How rude! “I can’t see why,” he murmured and once more trailed his eyes up and down her body. Kagome shuddered. “You’re nothing remarkable…unless you consider the fact that you look an awful lot like his ex slut.” He suddenly smirked and took a step closer, the smell of cigarettes assaulting her senses. “Probably the reason why he’s even giving you the time of day. Have you fucked him yet?”

 

Kagome’s eyes widened and she flushed a deep scarlet, appalled. “Ex-ex _cuse_ me?”

 

The boy chortled mirthlessly. “A prude. Surprising; you’re definitely not the type he usually goes for. But I suppose even the half-breed likes a challenge every once in a while. And as a matter of fact,” he placed a hand on either side of Kagome’s head, caging her in and Kagome paled as he leaned in, his faces inches from her own. His eyes narrowed and his smirk turned menacing. “So do I.”

 

The implication had Kagome’s knees feeling weak and the wall behind her was the only thing that was holding her up right now, otherwise she’d be a puddle of terrified goo on the floor. She stared wide eyed at him, face white as a sheet and heart pounding in her chest. He seemed to delight in her response to him because his eyes glinted with malicious satisfaction and he opened his mouth to goad her further however he never got the chance.

 

“Yamaguchi, Tsujitani, you’re late!”

 

“Bite me, Shou.”

 

“My apologies, Mr. Shou.”

 

Kagome’s tormentor whipped his head around and growled, pushing back from the trembling young woman and stepping away, allowing her to breathe a little easier. His scarlet eyes flicked back to her and he sent her a nasty smile before turning around and walking away.

 

Making a small noise of relief in the back of her throat, Kagome slid to the floor, her knees no longer able to support her and she stared straight ahead, wide eyed, pale and wondering just what in the hell just happened.

 

“Kagome!”

 

Blinking, Kagome turned her head to find Sango jogging over to her, a concerned look on her face. She knelt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, frowning at her pale complexion. “Are you okay? What happened?”

 

Kagome’s brows furrowed as she dwelled on exactly what just transpired when suddenly a pair of amber eyes were staring directly into her own and a clawed hand was cupping her cheek tenderly, worry plastered all over his face.

 

“Babydoll? You okay? You’re white as a ghost.” His thumb gently brushed against her cheek, feeling only slightly less concerned when color started to filter back into it.

 

“I…” Kagome swallowed. It would probably be best if she kept to herself what just happened. She didn’t know how, but she knew Inuyasha’s reaction wouldn’t be anything good. Taking a deep breath, the chocolate-eyed girl managed a wan smile and nodded. “I’m fine. I just got a little dizzy and needed to sit down for a bit, that’s all. But it’s gone now.”

 

Inuyasha didn’t look at all convinced and she avoided his gaze as she struggled to push herself to her feet. Her knees were still a little wobbly, but her strength was slowly regaining and she tossed another smile at the half-demon as he helped her up, this one more genuine.

 

He still looked skeptical, but he nodded anyway, keeping a hand on the small of her back. “If you’re sure,” he murmured and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She blushed and finally he smiled slightly. “But if you start to feel even a little dizzy, I want you to tell me and I’ll take you to the nurse’s office. Sae’s a great nurse and she’ll take care of you. Understand?” His golden eyes bore into her own, the genuine concern that was blatantly shining though making Kagome feel a little guilty for lying, but she couldn’t let him know the truth. Or Sango or Miroku.

 

“I will,” she promised and finally appeased, Inuyasha nodded once and dropped his hand. She watched him and Miroku wander over to the other half the gym to join the rest of the boys in a game of kickball. The girls were taking basketballs off of the cart Sango had retrieved earlier and were shooting hoops while Mr. Shou watched over both halves of the gymnasium, arms crossed and legs akimbo.

 

“C’mon, Kagome.” Sango ushered her friend over to the cart and handed her a basketball before taking one of her own and leading her over to a hoop occupied only by two other girls. Kagome wondered if she chose that one on purpose since it was closest to the boys’ side of the gym and they could easily watch the boys engaged in their game of kickball. While the girls took turns shooting hoops, Kagome snuck glances to the other side, her eyes always automatically finding Inuyasha whether he was out in the “field” or kicking the rubber ball.

 

However, being so close also meant that the ebony-haired boy from early could clearly see her as much as she could see him and every time her gaze drifted past him, he was always staring at her and Kagome would quickly look away.

 

On one such occasion Inuyasha hadn’t failed to miss the exchange and his brows snapped low over his eyes as he sent a narrow eyed look his enemy’s way. He didn’t like the sudden interest the fucker had in his babydoll and if he had to he’d put a stop to it. Permanently.

 

The sharp shrill of a whistle drew his attention and he snapped his head around.

 

“Focus, Yamaguchi!” Shou yelled from across the room and Inuyasha scoffed.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Cracking his neck, and with one last look directed toward his nemesis’s way, Inuyasha got back into the game, hunching over and keeping his eye on the ball as Kouga delivered a solid kick to it.

 

For the next ten minutes or so Inuyasha was able to concentrate on the game since Naraku’s interest in Kagome seemed to have disappeared and for that he was grateful because the thought of his babydoll anywhere _near_ that slimeball set his teeth on edge and he wanted to wring the bastard’s neck. But that was nothing new; he always wanted to throttle the asshole.

 

But of course, he should have known that his good luck would run out because really, it was Naraku he was dealing with and that dicknose shart goblin always had something up his sleeve.

 

During a brief lull in the game, since Shou had left for a bathroom break and the boys decided to goof off for a bit, Inuyasha took the time to watch Kagome as she shot hoops, missing almost every time but by the looks of it having a good time as she laughed and stuck her tongue out at Sango’s good-natured ribbing. He smiled, happy to see her laugh.

 

On the next shot she missed, the ball bounced off the backboard at an angle and shot toward the boys’ side and she chased after it with a giggled, “oops!” She managed to grab hold of it before it bounced any further and she made the mistake of glancing across the room in the direction of what she thought Inuyasha was in, but instead her gaze clashed with ruthless crimson and instantly the smile died on her lips as her tormentor aimed a sleazy smile at her and flicked out his tongue.

 

Kagome felt sick.

 

“Fucking asshole!”

 

Something solid and round slammed into Naraku’s gut and he reflexively caught the kickball with a hard grunt, hunching over from the blow but raising his head to glare heatedly at the culprit. The whole gym had gone silent, the girls pausing in their activity to watch and the boys crowding closer, wondering if a fight would break out.

 

The half-breed was stalking toward him, hands balled into fists and a thunderous scowl etched onto his features. The mutant’s ears were pinned down into his hair and it was obvious he was livid and any smart person would be wise to get out of his way.

 

Sneering, Naraku tossed the ball aside and straightened up, his ribs aching but refusing to back down. “The fuck is your problem, mongrel?”

 

“You keep your fucking eyes off of her, or I will _end_ you.” The furious half-demon stopped right in front of him and got in his face, pulling back his upper lip and baring his fangs in a lethal snarl.

 

Naraku snorted and leaned back, sneering in disgust. “Ugh, dog breath. The hell did you eat for breakfast, your own shit?”

 

Inuyasha ignored the barb and just continued to glower at him, his voice a deadly growl. “Leave. Her. Alone.”

 

Glaring back, Naraku leaned forward too so that their faces were inches apart.

 

“No.”

 

Inuyasha didn’t think. With a savage growl, he allowed his fists to do the rest of the talking and punched him square in his ugly mug.

 

A round of “oooh’s” was heard, accompanied by startled gasps, mostly from the girls and soon a chorus of “fight, fight, fight!” echoed throughout the gym.

 

Vaguely aware that Kagome was watching, a horrified expression on her face and ignoring Miroku’s warning to stop while he was ahead, Inuyasha didn’t give the fucker time to recover and lunged, fists flying, teeth bared and soon the two were a blur of black and white, the sound of flesh hitting flesh hardly distinguishable over the cheers and goading of their fellow classmates.

 

Horrified at the scene before her, all Kagome could do was stand in watch, a hand covering her mouth and her eyes round with astonishment. She couldn’t believe that Inuyasha had actually initiated a fight and all just because that boy had made a crude gesture toward her.

 

“Oh, God,” she whispered and for the second time in the last half hour, the color drained from her face as she saw flashes of red smearing Inuyasha’s arms and face and it was unclear as to who’s blood it was. Both teenagers were suffering wounds and it was obvious the half-demon wasn’t holding back using his claws; they were gleaming wetly and Kagome’s stomach churned.

 

She was dimly aware of Sango beside her, looking grim and biting down on her lip.

 

Kagome didn’t know how long it went on for, Inuyasha and Naraku trading blows, rolling around on the floor while their fellow classmates cheered on. She wished somebody would try and break them up and she even looked at Miroku, hoping he was thinking along the same lines as her but one look told her he wasn’t going to get involved.

 

“Sango,” Kagome whimpered, at a loss but before her friend could answer, an outraged “what the bloody hell?!” was heard and all heads turned to see Mr. Shou charging forward.

 

“Dammit, Yamaguchi, Morikawa, break it up, _right now!_ Boukon, Matsuno, help me stop this!” Shou ordered two of his youkai students and reluctantly Seiji Boukon, a muscled ox demon and Kouga Matsuno, a wolf demon muscled their way in and managed to separate the two with some difficulty since both teens were still trying to deliver blows despite being held back.

 

Mr. Shou, red-faced and livid, stood between the two of them once they were spaced farther apart and they had finally stopped flailing around since it was obvious they weren’t going anywhere. Seiji had Inuyasha’s arms locked into the crook of his own and the position forced him to stop moving otherwise his shoulders would dislocate. Probably intentional. He was gratified to see that the wolf merely had his arm thrown across his opponent’s torso, not at all worried the stupid human was going to escape his grasp. Heh. Weak bastard.

 

“What is the meaning of this?!” Mr. Shou demanded, furious as he gazed back and forth between his two unruly students. “Hm?! Somebody better explain right bloody now or you’re all getting detention, I don’t care _who_ was involved or wasn’t!”

 

Inuyasha and Naraku stubbornly stayed silent, breathing heavily with blood dripping from their faces as they continued to glare at one another.

 

“If somebody doesn’t start talking in five seconds—” Shou started, frustration evident in his voice.

 

“Naraku was throwing lewd gestures toward Miss Higurashi and Inuyasha warned him to stop it and when that didn’t work he decided a more physical approach was needed,” Miroku spoke up finally; ever the voice of reason and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Nobody wanted to get detention for something they weren’t even a part of, but at the same time nobody wanted to be a snitch.

 

Mr. Shou reached out and slapped each boy upside the head. “Damned fools. Morikawa, my office, now. Yamaguchi, main office. _Beat it._ ” He directed a hard glare to both teenagers and gestured for their captors to release them. At once Inuyasha and Naraku were freed and the former was tempted to lunge again, damn the consequences, but one look at Kagome’s horrified expression and he knew that was out of the question, never mind that he’d be in even more trouble if he did.

 

With one last sneer, the half-demon stalked off toward the boy’s locker room to change and clean the blood off him while Naraku disappeared into Shou’s office and just before the door closed, Inuyasha heard the professor call Kagome over to him. He winced as guilt crashed over him; he was responsible for putting that look on her beautiful face and he felt like absolute shit.

 

“Sorry, babydoll.”

 

“I’m too old for this,” Mr. Shou grumbled five minutes later, kneading his forehead with a heavy sigh as Kagome walked off toward the girl’s locker room. “Alright, the rest of you, laps until the end of the period. Get to it, on the double.” He ignored the groans of protest and didn’t leave for his office until everyone was obediently jogging around the gym.


	10. Chapter 10

“Higurashi!” Mr. Shou called and Kagome tore her eyes away from the retreating half-demon to turn her attention to the professor. He gestured her over with a wave of his hand and Kagome, feeling all out of sorts with what just happened, ambled her way over to him.

 

He waited until she was halted before him and his expression softened slightly as he gazed down at her. “Was Morikawa harassing you, Miss Higurashi?” He believed Tsujitani’s explanation, since the kid was an all-around honest guy, but as his duty as a professor, he needed to hear it from her directly.

 

Kagome blushed and ducked her head, biting down on her lip as she arms came up to wrap around herself as Naraku’s taunting words came back to her. “Yes,” she admitted in a tiny voice, feeling embarrassed that she had to confess, however she knew it was Mr. Shou’s responsibility to hear what happened from her.

 

She heard her professor sigh heavily and she peeked up to see him nod his head jerkily and thrust a hand through his graying hair. “Alright. If you want, Miss Higurashi, you are dismissed for the rest of the glass. You look a fright so I would suggest heading down to the nurse’s office and take a breather.”

 

Actually, that sounded like a fabulous idea to Kagome. After what she had just witnessed, it was a wonder she was even standing. Giving a slight bow, she mumbled, “Thank you, professor,” then scurried over to the girl’s locker room, trying to ignore the weight of everyone’s gaze upon her back.

 

She quickly changed and without thinking she pulled Inuyasha’s jacket on, pulling the collar up high and inhaling the scent of Boss cologne and leather. The aroma had a calming effect on her and her muscles relaxed, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She didn’t allow herself to ask why it had such an effect on her and exited the locker room, wandering down the hall toward the main lobby; she remembered seeing a door marked Nurse’s Office yesterday.

 

Kagome found it with relative ease and opened the door; instantly the smell of cinnamon and apple greeted her and she smiled as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

 

“Ah, you must be Kagome,” a kind voice said and the aforementioned teenager turned to find an elderly woman wearing slacks, a salmon colored blouse and a white doctor’s coat sitting up from a chair, smiling gently at her. Straight gray hair fell to just below her ears and glasses framed friendly brown eyes. She reminded Kagome of her deceased grandmother. “Ryu called and said you’d be coming down. I’m Nurse Tanaki, but please just call me Sae. Everyone does.” She chuckled throatily and instantly Kagome liked her.

 

Kagome gave a small bow. “It’s nice to meet you, Nurse Tan—um, Sae.” She’d been taught at a young age to always respect her elders but she figured if Sae didn’t mind and everyone else called her that anyway, she could make an exception.

 

“Likewise,” Sae said warmly. “It looks like Ryu wasn’t kidding,” she mused, putting a calloused hand to the mocha-eyed teenager’s forehead. “You look dreadful. I want you to go lie down for a while and rest up. Do you have lunch next?” Kagome nodded. “Then you won’t have to worry about missing any classes. However if you’d like to stay longer, I’ll call your professors and excuse you from class.”

 

Kagome graced the nurse with a watery but genuine smile, truly grateful to have such a capable person taking care of her. “Thank you, Sae,” she said softly.

 

The older woman smiled warmly. “Take all the time you need, my dear.”

 

**-X-**

Inuyasha slouched down in a chair in the main office, dressed in his regular clothes and sporting a nasty scowl on his face along with various cuts and teeth marks. He had several bruises decorating his abdomen and legs but thankfully they were already fading and would be gone by the end of the day, as would most of his other wounds. Being a half-demon had _some_ advantages, at least. That little factoid didn’t prevent him from feeling any pain, though, and at the moment every breath he took made his ribs scream in protest and his head felt like it was being viciously squeezed by a vice.

 

Fucking Naraku.

 

Grumbling under his breath, Inuyasha glared at nothing and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited to be called back into the principal’s office, ears pinned and claws tapping against his arm impatiently. Dammit, he wanted to go see how his babydoll was, not waste his fucking sitting on his ass while he waited for the stupid principal to decide he was worthy enough to grace her with his presence. He’d already been sitting there for a good fifteen minutes, for Chrissake. She did this every fucking time, probably to give him time to “cool off,” he reluctantly surmised, and Inuyasha was getting pretty damned sick of it.

 

“Mr. Yamaguchi,” Kanna the secretary called his attention and he grunted in response. She offered a small smile, used to his mannerisms. After all, he was in her pretty much every other day. “You can go back now.”

 

“’Bout damn time,” the silver-haired hanyou muttered and pushed himself out of the chair, shoving his hands into his pockets as he strode farther in toward the back where the principal’s office was located. He didn’t bother to knock and just walked right in, a bored look on his face as he plopped down in one of the chairs before the desk and slouched down. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

“Kanna, could you close the door, please?” Ms. Oogami called to her secretary and sister without looking up from her desk and the albino woman closed the door with a soft click. With a sigh, the school principal took off her glasses and leaned back in her chair, folding her arms and arching a delicate eyebrow at the student as she studied him closely.

 

Inuyasha stared back, indifferent.

 

“Care to explain?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Rolling her magenta eyes – really, why did she even bother? – Ms. Oogami picked up a piece of paper that had been faxed to her ten minutes prior and scanned it over. “Naraku Morikawa was harassing a student, a Miss Kagome Higurashi and after he declined to stop after Inuyasha Yamaguchi’s warning, Mr. Yamaguchi initiated a fight.” She flicked a glance at the silent half-demon. “Sound familiar?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“What is your relationship to Kagome Higurashi?”

 

“None of your business.”

 

“Why did you start a fight with Mr. Morikawa?”

 

“Because he’s an asshole.”

 

Ms. Oogami closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Clearly this isn’t going anywhere so let’s start over.” She put the sheet of paper down and once more regarded the golden eyed half-demon before her. She was silent for a moment, and then said slowly, “I received a call from your brother today concerning an…indecent that happened this morning.”

 

Inuyasha stiffened and looked away.

 

 _Aha. A response._ “Inuyasha,” the older woman said gently and a frown of concern marred the space between her eyebrows. “If you’d like to talk to somebody about anything, you know you can always come to me. I’m here for all of my students.”

 

Smoldering amber eyes snapped toward her and his upper lip lifted into a silent snarl. “Just because you’re fucking my brother doesn’t mean you’re _anything_ to me. You’re just my principal, nothing more.”

 

She flinched and her lips tightened into a thin line. “My relationship with Mr. Yamaguchi is not part of this conversation, Inuyasha.”

 

“The hell it ain’t, _Kagura._ Don’t act like you know me, you don’t know _shit_.” He glowered at his principal, his claws digging into the wooden arms of the chair he sat in.

 

Closing her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, Kagura slowly counted to ten. None of the any other troublemakers in her school could infuriate her as much as her lover’s little brother did. She opened her eyes and gazed at him steadily, leaning forward slightly. “As your principal, Mr. Yamaguchi, it is my responsibility to look out for all of my students and offer my help and guidance in any way I can if a certain student needs it. Your brother and I think it would be a good idea if you visited Dr. Hirata—”

 

“I don’t need to see a fucking shrink,” Inuyasha snapped.

 

“That’s your opinion and you’re certainly entitled to it, however we both _strongly_ advise you call and make an appointment. It’s obvious that you’re holding a lot inside and lashing out at Mr. Morikawa without provocation—”

 

“Bull _shit_ I wasn’t provoked! He was harassing Kagome!”

 

“—suggests that you needed an outlet for your bottled up anger and misery so he became an easy target. I’m not a fool, Inuyasha, do you think you’re the first problem kid I’ve had to deal with in my time here as principal? Hardly.” Heaving a tired sigh, Kagura sat back in her chair and wished she had a drink. Of the alcoholic variety.

 

“Well if I’m such a problem, then why don’t you just suspend me already?” Inuyasha asked. “God knows I probably should have been at least five times,” he quipped, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“Because one, God knows the trouble you would get into if you were left to your own devices all day and two…” Kagura’s face softened suddenly and Inuyasha had to look away. “Because I care about you, Inuyasha, and I want to see you succeed.” When he stayed silent and refused to look her way, she forged on, determined to get through to him. “We’re worried about you, Inuyasha, you’re brother and I. What happened? You used to be such a bright kid, doing well in school, going to all of your classes. Ever since your mother—”

 

Inuyasha stood up so fast he knocked the chair backwards, causing Kagura to jump slightly. “We done here,” he asked through clenched teeth, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides, and it sounded more like a statement than a question.

 

Kagura snapped her mouth closed and frowned up at him, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to listen to anything else she had to say, so reluctantly, she nodded. “I want you to see Sae,” she said. “I don’t care if your wounds will be healed by tonight, at least let her give you something for the pain I know you’re in.”

 

Without a word the half-demon spun around and yanked open the door before stalking out of the office. “I’ll be calling her later to see if you showed up so don’t—”

 

The door slamming was her answer.

 

Groaning, the principal closed her eyes and dropped her head onto the table. “I love my job, I _love_ my job, I _love_ my job…”


	11. Chapter 11

Inuyasha thought about ignoring his principal’s order and walking right by the nurse’s office just to spite her and declare that she _couldn’t_ tell him what to do and just head straight to lunch where Babydoll, Sango and Miroku were waiting for him, but his head chose that moment to throb angrily and he winced, his ears flattening as he bit back a pathetic whimper.

 

On the other hand…maybe some painkillers wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

 

With an irritated sigh – he was missing lunch and precious time with Babydoll, dammit – Inuyasha altered his course and waltzed right in, the familiar scent of apples and cinnamon washing over him, relaxing his tense muscles and making the pounding in his head lessen slightly. Hell, maybe he’d just sleep it off in here and forget the painkillers. But if he did that, he’d miss lunch and as such miss spending time with Kagome… _Drugs it is._ He inhaled deeply, glad that the aroma covered up the harsh smells antiseptics and cleaning supplies. This was his second place in the whole damn school, with the first being the cafeteria, because, well, food.

 

“Hello, Inuyasha,” Sae greeted as he walked around the corner. She was seated at her desk filling out some paperwork and shot him a warm smile. It waned slightly when she got a good look of his face and the nurse sighed. “Another fight?”

 

“Keh.” He crossed his arms and looked away but couldn’t stop the blush from surfacing on his cheeks. Sae was the only one who could make him feel ashamed of getting into brawls all the time. Well, and maybe Kagome. He’d hated that look on her face right before he left the gym.

 

Forgoing on lecturing the poor child, knowing that he got enough of that at home, Sae silently stood up and shuffled over to her medicine cabinets, guessing that he was here for painkillers more than anything else. She knew demons and half-demons healed at an incredible rate and while the cuts and bruises on the student’s body worried her, Sae also knew they’d be gone by tonight.

 

Inuyasha leaned against the wall as she went about filling up a paper cup with water and retrieving the required amount of tablets adequate for relieving headaches, aches and pains. “You’re welcome to stay here and rest a bit,” she said as she handed them to him. “But there’s another student resting on the other bed so if you do, please be quiet.”

 

Inuyasha grunted and tipped back his head to swallow the pills, washing them down with a gulp of water. He grimaced, always managing to get the smallest taste of the tablets on his tongue. Nasty.

 

“I’m going to get some lunch.” Sae smiled fondly at the half-demon and as she brushed by him to the door she reached up and gently tweaked an ear before disappearing out the door, trusting the silver-haired hanyou to not to anything stupid while she was gone.

 

A corner of Inuyasha’s lips quirked up and his ear flicked in response to the gentle touch. Sae was also one of the few he let touch his ears.

 

Deciding he’d lingered long enough and eager to get to babydoll, he inhaled the fragrance of apples and cinnamon one more time on his way out the door, but he paused when he detected something else mixed in with the scent. He frowned, tilting his head slightly as he took a few more delicate sniffs. Underneath apples and cinnamon, there was Sae, a faint lemony smell, and…his cologne?

 

Inuyasha blinked. With a puzzled expression he followed his nose to the closed off section where the beds were located, the curtain drawn around one of them for privacy. Without hesitation he carefully drew the cloth back and his eyes widened to find Kagome curled up on the bed in a little ball, her back to him as she hugged her knees to her chest with his jacket snuggly wrapped around her. From her deep breathing, she was sound asleep, completely unaware of the half-demon staring down at her in awe.

 

“Babydoll,” he breathed, reaching down to caress her cheek with the back of his claws. What was she doing here? Inuyasha recalled her mentioning back in PE how she’d felt dizzy for a moment and had to sit down. Did it come back? Or maybe… He winced, a wave of guilt crashing through him as he once more remembered her face after he’d duked it out with that communist turd waffle, otherwise known as Naraku. Perhaps witnessing that had triggered another dizzy spell and she’d requested to go to the nurse after talking to Shou.

 

A strong urge overtook him at that moment and without thinking twice about it Inuyasha sat down on the bed and being careful not to wake her up, he wrapped his arms around her small frame and dragged her onto his lap so she was tucked against him, her head under his chin and her legs resting over his. Kagome stirred, but didn’t wake and he buried his nose in her hair, closing his eyes. He smiled; she smelled like him, no doubt because she’d been wearing his jacket all day. A bout of male pride underlined with possessiveness swept through him and he tightened his arms around her.

 

“Sorry, babydoll,” he said for the second time that day only this time he was able to say it directly to her…even if she was unable to hear it. He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, content to hold her in his arms even though his stomach was protesting its emptiness and he mentally told it to shut up. Food was secondary when it came to Kagome so his gut would just have to wait because he wasn’t planning on moving until his babydoll woke up.

 

A tongue curling yawn abruptly came out of nowhere and he shifted a little to get more comfortable, maneuvering Kagome’s arms to wrap loosely around his waist. “Comfortable,” he mumbled, his eyelids suddenly feeling heavy. With a contented growl, Inuyasha closed his eyes and drifted off into a light sleep with his babydoll in his arms.

 

**-X-**

_Warm. Smells good…hm…?_

Consciousness slowly started to seep back into Kagome’s brain and along with it the previous events of that morning. Involuntarily a shudder coursed along the length of her spine as she remembered the gruesome details and instinctively she snuggled closer to her pillow, absorbing its warmth while bashing away those thoughts to some dark corner of her mind. Her pillow shifted beneath her and a little noise of annoyance escaped her throat. She was trying to sleep, no moving allowed.

  
Then a low, husky chuckle sounded above her and that was when she realized that pillows didn’t have the ability to move or chuckle. And since when did they have heartbeats?

 

Fully awake now, Kagome snapped her eyes open and pushed herself up into a sitting position to find herself staring into a pair of amused honey eyes and her face burned a dark red. “In-Inu—what—”

 

He chuckled again and brushed back a strand of ebony hair from her face. “Hey there, sleeping beauty. Have a nice nap?” The moment Kagome had moved in his lap he was instantly awake and with a back ache to boot from sitting in the same position for so long. He hadn’t been able to hold back the chuckle when she’d made that cute little noise after he shifted to alleviate the ache a bit.

 

Wide cinnamon orbs stared back at him in shock, her mouth parted slightly and her cheeks a very becoming shade of pink. Her raven hair was slightly tousled and _God_ , he wanted to slip his tongue inside her mouth and taste the sweetness inside. She looked so fucking beautiful right now. An answering pulse from down below from _that_ particular mental image had Inuyasha mentally grimacing and shifting underneath her once again, this time to alleviate a very _different_ type of ache. Thankfully when Kagome had sat up she’d scooted down a bit so she wasn’t directly on top of his groin anymore. He really didn’t feel like explaining _that_ to her. She’d probably die of embarrassment.

 

“I came here to get some pain meds and found you sleeping,” he finally answered her after she just continued to stare at him. He shrugged. “You just looked so inviting that I decided to join you.” Inuyasha grinned cheekily at her but at her suspicious look he sighed and refrained from rolling his eyes. He adored her innocence and understood the direction her thoughts ventured to, but the half-demon had to admit it did get a little annoying sometimes. Didn’t she trust him? “Relax babydoll, I didn’t do anything.” He couldn’t keep the slightly vexed tone out of his voice and he grimaced slightly.

 

Unfortunately Kagome picked up on it and her face softened as a guilty pout settled on her features. “Sorry,” she mumbled, ducking her head and absently playing with the hem of his shirt. “I know you wouldn’t do anything.” And really, how could she ever think otherwise? Inuyasha had been nothing but nice to her, perhaps a little overbearing at times, but she could tell he only had her best interests at heart and he hadn’t done a thing to suggest he would ever take advantage of her. She felt stupid and couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. How could someone she just met a day prior make her feel this way? It was absurd, and yet…

 

Kagome heard him sigh gently and then clawed fingers gently grasped her chin and nudged her face upward. Hesitantly she peeked up at him through her lashes and she was greeted with one of his familiar warm smiles. “You’re so damn adorable,” he said and as predicted her face flamed. “S’okay, babydoll. I’m sorry too.” He leaned forward and nuzzled her nose with his own. “Smile for me?”

 

Reluctantly, Kagome felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards and she bit her lip to stifle the smile that wanted to spread across her features. She still felt bad for doubting him. How could she smile at a time like this?

 

The little devil noticed her struggle and wiggled his ears as his eyebrows rose up into his bangs.

 

Oh, that brat! This time she couldn’t hold it back and she finally graced him with a small but genuine smile. Those ears of his were just too cute!

 

“That’s my girl,” he said softly and leaned back to grace her with another warm smile. However her eyes were trained somewhere higher than his face and experimentally he twitched his left ear. Kagome’s eyes lit up and the tiniest of giggles escaped her lips. She liked his ears, huh? Inuyasha’s smile grew and he took her hand, ignoring the questioning look she gave him and brought the appendage to his ears. Kagome’s eyes widened and a soft blush colored her cheeks. Hesitant hope flared in her eyes and he lowered his head. “Go ahead.”

 

Biting down on her lip, Kagome nodded and very gently took his left ear between her fingers, reveling in its softness as she slowly gave the appendage an experimental rub. Inuyasha hummed appreciatively and pushed his ear into her hand. Kagome relaxed and smiled, growing more bold as she raised her other hand and gave equal attention to his right ear, stroking the softness and secretly feeling empowered when Inuyasha gave a low groan and leaned forward, resting his forehead on her chest and loosely wrapping his arms around her waist.

 

“Damn, that feels good,” he rumbled and his breath warmed her skin through her clothes, sending a shiver down her spine. Either Inuyasha ignored it or simply didn’t care, too caught up in the pleasure her touch was bringing him. And speaking of which, if she didn’t stop…

 

With a reluctant sigh, Inuyasha forced himself to bring up his hands and take hold of her wrists, halting her massage on his ears. “Enough, baby.” He lifted his head and brought her hands down to his lap. He wasn’t expecting the hurt look on her face and his ears pinned against his head. Shit. He winced and tried to think of an excuse why she had to stop. “Uh, my ears are…sensitive. If you’d kept on doing that, something woulda…happened that you’re not ready for.” He cleared his throat and discreetly gestured to his crotch.

 

Kagome blinked at him and titled her head to the side, obviously not catching on.

 

 _What—did she not understand?_ Okay, take two. “Ah…you were making it… _hard_ to control myself.”

 

Nothing _. Jesus, she really is innocent, isn’t she?_ Not that he cared, of course; it was refreshing in a way, but at the same time, frustrating. For a moment, Inuyasha toyed with the idea of grabbing her hand and thrusting it between his legs, but thought better of it. She’d probably spontaneously combust from blushing too hard. _What the hell, I’ll just be frank._ Heaving a sigh, Inuyasha looked her straight in the eyes and confessed, unabashedly.

 

“You were turning me on, babydoll.”

 

As he waited for Kagome to digest that information, the golden-eyed teen half expected her to ask what exactly that meant, but a second later it turned out she did indeed understand those particular words and he watched warily as her eyes grew very round and not surprisingly her face rivaled that of a tomato. He was expecting her to start stammering wildly and fly off his lap like he was on fire, make a hurried excuse to leave or even start apologizing. He _wasn’t_ expecting her to duck her head, mutter a soft “oh” and scoot herself off his lap to sit beside him on the bed instead, folding her legs to the side and placing her hands in her lap.

 

Inuyasha blinked and frowned slightly at her reaction, however he had to admit it was definitely preferable over the other scenarios he’d thought would happen. “Yeah,” he said slowly and situated himself so he was facing her on the bed. She wouldn’t look at him, which wasn’t surprising, and he kind of wished he hadn’t told her the effect she had on him. Inuyasha pulled a face and heaved a sigh. Shit, what if he just changed things between them permanently? He reached toward her. “Kagome, I’m—”

 

“I’m sorry,” Kagome suddenly blurted and Inuyasha started. Why was she apologizing? She clenched her hands in her lap and bit her lip, refusing to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry, I—I didn’t know—”

 

“No, baby,” he interrupted her and touched her cheek. She gasped and spun her head to finally look him in the eyes. He shook his head. “Never apologize for being you. You weren’t doing anything I didn’t want you to. You’re just so…” he trailed off and exhaled softly, his amber gaze tracing the line of her nose, the shell of her ears, the cupid bow of her pink lips. What word could possibly describe what he saw when he looked at her?

 

Blushing, Kagome forced herself not to look away, the heated look in his orbs entrancing her and making her tummy do strange, not at all unpleasant flip-flops. “I’m…what?” she whispered, somehow afraid of his answer but needing to know.

 

Twin pools the color of whiskey flicked back to chocolate brown. He smiled.

 

“So…pure.”


	12. Chapter 12

After getting a late lunch in the cafeteria of pizza and chocolate milk, Inuyasha escorted Kagome to the class she was supposed to be in, glad that Sae had called ahead and excused her tardiness. But that didn’t change the fact that every head turned toward her when she entered the room and she hurriedly scurried over to her seat, blushing in embarrassment. She made a mental note that if she needed to visit Sae again for whatever reason, she’d just take some Aspirin and be done with it.

**-X-**

Inuyasha was bored out of his mind. After he’d dropped Kagome off at her class, he decided a visit to the roof was a bit overdue so he made his way up there and loafed about, admiring the view he got of Tokyo from the top of the building and enjoying the sunshine on his face. It was still chilly, but the cold didn’t get to him as much as it did humans. Since Kagome still had possession of his coat – he grinned smugly – he endured the cool breeze as it played with his hair and tugged at his clothes with invisible frosty fingers.

 

He didn’t know how long he was up there for, a few hours perhaps, but when he heard the clock tower across town chime three times, he grinned. The school day was over and that meant Kagome had no more classes. Jumping up from where he’d been lounging against the wall, he strode over to the edge and looked down as students streamed out of the building, talking, joking around and hanging out with friends.

 

Inuyasha scanned the sea of heads for a familiar waterfall of silky black hair and spotted her headed toward the parking lot with Sango. Miroku was trailing behind talking to Kouga and from the looks on their faces their conversation was probably about what happened in PE today. He rolled his eyes; no doubt the whole damn school knew about it by now and wasn’t that just fucking peachy. Damn people needed to learn to keep their mouths shut.

 

With a grunt, Inuyasha launched from the ledge, twisted in midair and expertly landed a few feet in front of the girls with a soft thud. “Yo.”

 

Kagome shrieked and a hand flew to her chest. “Oh my God, Yash, you scared the crap outta me! Don’t do that!”

 

He didn’t miss what she’d called him and he grinned but decided not to call her on it. She probably didn’t realize it and he wanted it to stay that way. It meant she was slowly getting used to him. “Sorry, babydoll.” He nodded to Sango and slid his gaze to the two males behind them. He narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t happen to be talking about a certain incident that happened in PE today, would you?”

 

Miroku winced and looked away. Kouga snorted, flipped him off then strode away with a casual “be seein’ ya” tossed his friend’s way.

 

“Stupid wolf,” he mumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. His yellow gaze turned back to his violet-eyed friend. “Dunno why you talk to him. He’s an egotistical bastard who likes to run his mouth.”  


The human male rolled his eyes. “You just don’t like him because of what he did with Ki—”

 

Sango abruptly stomped on his foot, eliciting a yelp of pain followed shortly by a muffled curse. “C’mon, you loud mouth.” She grabbed his hand dragged him toward Inuyasha’s truck.

 

Kagome blinked and frowned slightly in confusion. What was he going to say? Ki…Kikyou? That girl that Inuyasha had talked to during lunch yesterday? She glanced up at the half-demon to ask him what Miroku had meant, but his stony expression as he glared after his friend stopped her. Apparently it was dangerous ground to tread upon and she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that glower.

 

She opened her mouth to change the subject, suddenly remembering she had to track down Houjo and decline his offer of a ride home, but as if her thoughts of him had summoned the boy, Houjo called out to her and jogged over, his ever present smile on his face but when he spotted who she was standing with it faded somewhat. He slowed down when the hanyou emitted a low growl and stepped in front of Kagome as if protecting her. A disapproving frown marred his features but he decided not to comment, instead focusing his soft brown gaze on the girl behind him. Idly he wondered if she had given any thought to what he’d discussed with her that morning.

 

“Hi, Higurashi,” he greeted and she smiled softly in response. Houjo returned it. “You didn’t let me know if you wanted a ride home or not, so I wanted to come find you.”

 

“Thanks Houjo, but I—”

 

“I’ll be taking her home,” Inuyasha intervened and his glare dared the human male to challenge him on this.

 

Kagome’s mouth dropped. “What—no, I’m walking.”

 

“No, you’re not. I’ll be taking her home, _and_ picking her up in the mornings so don’t bother asking her again. C’mon, babydoll.” He grabbed her hand and started toward his vehicle, leaving a frowning Houjo behind.

 

Kagome feebly tugged on her hand. “But—but—” Helplessly she looked over her shoulder at the brown haired boy and it was obvious he disapproved. She flushed. “Inuyasha,” she hissed and he sighed. Back to that again. “How dare you do that! Houjo’s a nice boy and he was just being considerate! Let me go so I can apologize to him!” She tried yanking her hand away and she squeaked when he laced their fingers together, tugging gently until she was talking beside him.

 

“I don’t want you anywhere near him,” Inuyasha said, his possessive nature coming out. “Besides, what’s so wrong with me taking you home?” He looked down at her and the hurt look in his eyes made Kagome falter. “Do you not want me to know where you live or something?”

 

“N-no, of course not! Just, I don’t want to impose—”

 

He snorted. “You’re not ‘imposing’ anywhere, babydoll. Just let me take care of you, okay?” He brought their linked hands up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, leaving Kagome speechless and gaping like a fish. He inwardly smirked, deciding he liked her reaction. Damn, he liked everything about her.

 

Satisfied the subject was dropped, he squeezed her hand and they walked in silence the rest of the way to his truck and he opened the passenger door for Kagome to climb up into. Miroku and Sango, having guessed the situation when he began dragging her over, were already sitting in the backseat. Resigned, the brown-eyed teenager climbed up and buckled herself in, setting her bag at her feet, though she was muttering something about stubborn half-demons. He only grinned, shut her door and bounded over to the driver’s side.

 

Inuyasha couldn’t seem to keep the smile from his face as he revved up his vehicle and exited the parking lot. Sure, eventually he’d wanted to start picking Kagome up and taking her home but he’d never fathomed it would be this soon. He realized part of it was because he was a possessive bastard and didn’t want other guys around his babydoll, no matter how honest their intentions were. He knew Hobo had his eyes on Kagome and he wasn’t going to stand for it.

 

He headed toward Miroku’s house first since it was the closest and after saying their goodbyes, Sango was next. He waited patiently while the girls chatted for a minute or two, making plans to study together for a biology test, then she headed inside her house where her brother was likely already home from school.

 

As Inuyasha merged back into traffic, Kagome wondered if Sango’s younger brother went to the same school as Souta. Miroku had brought him up in conversation as they were headed to his place and curious, Kagome had participated in the chat and inquired about him. She’d have to ask Souta if she knew a boy named Kohaku when she got home.

 

“Where d’ya live, babydoll?” Inuyasha suddenly asked and Kagome was brought out of her thoughts.

 

Quietly she gave him directions and he nodded, turning his blinker on and making a left at the next street. Five minutes later he pulled up in front of the apartment complex she resided in, an old brownstone building that had seen better years. He frowned, hoping the inside looked better than the outside, and he comforted himself by the fact that at least she was in a good neighborhood.

 

Before Kagome could protest, he got out and sped around to open her door for her, blinking innocently at her when she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Regardless she took the hand he offered her and stepped out, wondering what it was about men and big trucks. Without the step there to put her foot on she’d have never been able to get up there.

 

She allowed him to walk her to the front door of the building and when he made to follow her inside, she spun around and smiled disarmingly at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Have a good night.” She turned back around but he caught her wrist and pulled her back against him. She squeaked, turned bright red and looked wide-eyed up at him.

 

“Can I come in?” Engage Puppy Eyes.

 

Naturally, she blushed. “But…I…”

 

“Please?” He wiggled his ears and adapted a pout.

 

Aw, crap. Heaving a sigh, Kagome gave him a deadpan stare. “You cheated,” she said.

 

He just smiled.

 

Rolling her eyes, Kagome shook her head at his antics. “Fine,” she mumbled and started for the stairs since their apartment was on the third floor. She wished her father had picked a more modern building to live in, one that had an elevator. Climbing these stairs got annoying fast.

 

Before she could take a step, she found herself scooped up into powerful arms and Kagome released a yelp of surprise, her arms automatically wrapping around his neck. “What’re you doing?!” she said in a high pitched voice.

 

“Which floor?”

 

“Th-third, but—”

 

“Hang on.” Bending his knees, Inuyasha tightened his hold on his precious cargo and swiftly leapt the three flights of stairs effortlessly and he couldn’t hold back the smug grin that stretched his lips at the impressed look that donned Kagome’s face.

 

He set her on her feet on the landing, keeping a hand on her back when she wobbled a bit.

 

“Warn a girl next time,” she mumbled, wrinkling her nose as she dug around in her bag for her apartment key.

 

“Oops.”

 

Kagome snorted. “I’ll ‘oops’ ya…” She walked the few feet down the hall and unlocked the door to her home, Inuyasha following behind.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Kagome was a bundle of nerves as she closed the door behind Inuyasha. If her father figured out that she’d had a boy in their home without him here, there was no telling how long she’d be grounded for. She toed off her shoes off, biting her lip as she watched the half-demon wander about, looking around her small abode and she suddenly found herself wondering what he thought about it. Their apartment was nothing fancy, but it was obvious they were a well to do family; her father’s job paid very well and Kai always made sure he had the best out there to provide for his family. It was one of his more redeeming qualities that Kagome admired. 

“Nice place,” he commented and strangely Kagome felt relieved, but she was still anxious that he was even in her home. He really shouldn’t be here; she needed to get him to leave before Souta came out of his room and discovered him and what if he told Father? Kagome winced, twisting her hands together nervously. She still needed to clean up and start dinner too, and she couldn’t do that while Inuyasha was distracting her. 

She glanced at the clock; 3:15. She had at least another fifteen minutes until Souta emerged from his room since she normally didn’t get home until 3:30 so she’d better start thinking up an excuse. Maybe that Souta was sick and she had to take care of him. Or perhaps she could go with the truth and say she had lots of homework to do, she had to clean and make dinner. Surely he wouldn’t stick around since she had so much to do? Plus, Kagome really didn’t like lying and knowing Inuyasha he could probably pick up on it. She didn’t know if demons, half or not, could tell when someone was lying or not but she didn’t want to risk it. And, the thought of lying to Inuyasha didn’t sit well with her and she wouldn’t be able to deal with the guilt, even for something so small.

Suddenly she was hauled back against a hard chest by two strong arms swathing around her middle and Kagome gasped, her hands automatically flying to grasp his arms. “What—” 

“You look troubled,” he said lowly, frowning slightly at how stiff she was in his arms. “Why are you so tense? Relax, Kagome, it’s just me.” He removed his arms from her and placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging the tense muscle. He hated that she was always so awkward and shy around him and he wished she would just loosen up. He would never do anything that she was uncomfortable with or pressure her for anything she wasn’t ready for. Didn’t she trust him enough to realize that? 

Thinking back on it, Inuyasha surmised that perhaps it wasn’t all that of a surprise if she didn’t trust him. After all, it had only been a day since she’d met him and even though he hadn’t done anything to propose that she shouldn’t, it would make sense that Kagome was being cautious of him and acting the way she did. Besides, with how forward he was being – even he knew his behavior could be somewhat overwhelming and pushy – he supposed her reaction to him was to be expected, giving how innocent and pure she was. 

Okay, so maybe he should let up on the touchy-feely vibe for a bit, let Kagome come to him instead of being the one to initiate contact. 

But…even though he knew he should stop, give Kagome some space since it was obvious she was uncomfortable with how close he was, Inuyasha couldn’t ignore the fact that they were alone right now, in her apartment with nobody else around. No teachers, students, Sango or Miroku, that butterface sphincter hound also known as Naraku or that damn Hobo that insisted on following his babydoll around. Just them. Alone. In an empty apartment. 

Alone.

He just couldn’t pass this up. 

Inuyasha’s eyelids lowered to half-mast and he slid his hands from her shoulders down her arms, deliberately grazing his claws against her flesh and delighting in the way her arms erupted in goosebumps. A smirk curled his lips upwards as he leaned forward, nuzzling the shell of her hear with his nose and bushing his lips against her neck. “Kagome,” he breathed, reveling in the soft gasp that escaped her and the shiver he felt against his chest. Slowly, he smoothed his hands the rest of the way down her arms to place them on her hips, his claws snagging on the fabric of her skirt. He sighed and closed his eyes, burying his nose in her neck and inhaling deeply her scent, managing to squelch the groan that wanted to rip from his throat. Kagome smelled divine and it belied the way she was stiff in his arms, reluctant to relax, to trust him. He knew she was attracted to him and he also knew that she didn’t know what to do with those feelings. That was okay, though. He’d show her that it was okay to feel like that, that it was perfectly fine to act on those unfamiliar feelings. He wanted to let her know that it was normal for a healthy, beautiful teenage girl to feel this way, to feel desire, to lust after another healthy teenage boy. They were young and it was okay to experiment. 

Growling lowly in his throat, desire flooded through him and his right hand moved farther down still, caressing her thigh in what he hoped was in a distracting manner as his claws hooked the hem of her skirt and drew it upward, exposing more of her creamy flesh for his viewing pleasure. Thankfully, his lips on her neck was proving to be quite distracting because she didn’t stop his hand from moving upward, taking her skirt with it. 

“In-Inu—” Kagome squeaked, her face a dark red and her mocha eyes very wide. She was frozen against him, her body trembling however it wasn’t from fright. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her breaths coming in pants and a peculiar warmth was starting to pool in the pit of her belly. Her skin tingled where his mouth kissed and caressed, sending little shudders coursing down the length of her spine. She’d never let a boy touch her like this before and she had no idea what to do, the things he was making her feel alien, strange, but oh so wonderful. Part of her wanted to stop his scandalous actions, remind him that they barely knew each other; they’d just met the day before! It was inappropriate to be doing such things and Kagome wasn’t like that. She was a good girl, she followed the rules, got good grades, and sex was the furthest thing from her mind. 

However, the other part of her, the more irrational part begged him not to stop, to hell with the consequences. True, these feelings were alien but not at all unwelcome or unpleasant and she found herself wanting to explore them, to see how far they went. Kagome was no expert on sex, but she had read a few books with love scenes in them and had to admit that she was curious. But never in her wildest dreams would she think this would happen to her, where a boy was attracted to her to the point of wanting to touch her like…like they were boyfriend and girlfriend. 

Kagome was abruptly brought back to reality when something grazed against the flesh of her thigh and she gasped, her hand flying to cover Inuyasha’s errant hand that was currently hiking up her skirt to her hip. “Inuyasha!” she hissed, snapping her head around to stare at him wide eyed. “S-stop it!” Suddenly Kagome remembered that her brother was just down the hallway and her heart skipped a beat at the realization that he could walk in on them like this. Oh, God, he had to stop! 

Inuyasha ignored her. “S’okay,” he rumbled and the vibration against her back felt way too good. Pressing his lips to her jaw, his left hand slithered upward to sneak under her sweater, his fingers grazing against the smooth skin of her stomach. He grinned smugly as her muscles quivered under his touch, even as her free hand came up and sought to prevent any further venturing. Her heart was racing in her chest and the silver-haired teenager was loving how responsive she was to him. He wanted to double his efforts and see if he could make her moan, but he didn’t want to scare her away. So instead he settled for pressing kisses to her jaw, working his way up to her ear and giving it a soft nip with his fangs. 

He was rewarded with a soft whimper. “You-you have to stop,” she breathed urgently, her brown eyes skittering over to the side, looking down the hallway. She tugged at his hands, trying to escape his grasp but Inuyasha held firm. “Please—”

“Relax, baby,” Inuyasha purred and she could feel his breath at the corner of her mouth. A little noise of desperation sounded in her throat. “I’m not going to—”

“Uh…Kagome?”

Both teenagers froze and they whipped their heads around to stare at Kagome’s younger brother who stood a few feet away from them, a perplexed look on his face as his eyes went back and forth between the two and half-peeled banana in his hand. He eyed Inuyasha suspiciously. “What are you doing to my sister?”

“Shit—”

“S-Souta!” 

Kagome redoubled her efforts to escape his grasp and this time he grudgingly let her go, knowing it was a lost cause now. Red-faced, the chocolate-eyed teen nervously cleared her throat and faced her brother, pretending she hadn’t just had a silver-haired half-demon feel her up. “Ah, how was school, Souta? Finish your homework?” She smiled brightly at him. 

Souta narrowed his eyes. “Yeah…” Eyes the exact shade of brown drifted to the boy behind her. “Who—”

“Why don’t you play some Xbox?” Kagome interrupted. “I still have to clean and make dinner and get some laundry finished.” Without waiting for an answer she scurried into the kitchen, completely ignoring the frowning hanyou still standing there. Souta followed after her, still eyeing the male teenager with a suspicious air. 

“Kagome—”

“What do you think Father will want for dinner? Hmmm, maybe some kushiyaki*, we haven’t had that in a while…”

“Sis!” 

“Oh! I know, I’ll make some yakizakana*, that’s one of Father’s favorite dishes. Do we have any daikon*?” 

A banana peel abruptly sailed through the air and went splat on the side of Kagome’s face.

Closing her eyes, his older sister stopped bustling about the kitchen and released a resigned sigh. She finally turned to face her kid brother, her expression once of reluctance. “You’re not going to ignore this, are you?” 

Souta’s glare spoke volumes.

With a groan, Kagome finally slid her gaze to Inuyasha who was standing in the kitchen doorway behind her brother, arms crossed and a pissed off look on his face. “Oh, so now you acknowledge my existence?” 

Kagome winced at the ire in his tone and sheepishly looked down, wringing her hands before her nervously. “I…” She didn’t know what to say exactly in this situation. Sorry? That didn’t feel nearly adequate enough. After all, she had just ignored him after he’d literally had his hand up her shirt and his mouth on her neck. What could she possibly say to rectify this? 

“Keh. Forget it.” With a scowl, Inuyasha spun around and stalked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Kagome flinched and felt the absurd urge to cry.

Leaning back against the counter, Kagome dropped her head in her hands, shaking it back and forth. “I’m an idiot.”

“Sis…?” Souta came over to stand next to her, putting a hand on her arm reassuringly. He didn’t understand what had just happened, but it was obvious his older sister was distressed. He didn’t mean to make a mess of things and he wanted to help fix it. 

“Souta,” she said on a sigh and with a defeated look, she launched into an explanation, beginning with how she’d met the puppy-eared, persistent half-demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY DRAMA. *folds herself into a ball and rolls around aimlessly*
> 
> *Kushiyaki - skewers of meat and vegetables.
> 
> *Yakizakana - is flame-grilled fish, often served with grated daikon. One of the most common dishes served at home.
> 
> *Daikon – white radish. 
> 
> Definitions courtesy of Wikipedia.


	14. Chapter 14

Hours later, after the apartment was clean, dinner was had and her father had retired to his office, Kagome sat in her bedroom, her biology text book opened to that night’s homework assignment and a notebook sitting beside it on her desk. She tapped her pencil against the blank sheet of paper distractedly as she gazed out her window, head propped up in her hand and brown eyes glazed over in thought. She hadn’t been able to concentrate properly on her studies because all she could think about was the flash of hurt she’d seen on Inuyasha’s face as he’d left earlier that day and the guilt that was gnawing at her from inside. Thinking back on it now, it was childish of her to ignore him like she had, to pretend nothing had happened after Souta interrupted them. He was justified in his feelings of hurt and anger so she really couldn’t blame him. She’d probably react the same way if their roles had been reversed.

 

Kagome sighed, glanced down at her blank notebook and decided it was time to take a break. Clearly she wasn’t finishing any more homework that night. It was a good thing her bio wasn’t due until the day after tomorrow. Standing up, she stretched her sore muscles and was about to head downstairs for some brain food when her phone buzzed from its location on her desk, alerting her to a new message. She frowned, wondering who could be contacting her this late at night. It could be Sango; they’d exchanged numbers during the ride to her house after school.

 

With a shrug she snatched it up and unlocked the screen to read the text.

 

_Go to your window._

Her eyes widened; it was from Inuyasha. Without thinking she zoomed to her window and her mouth dropped upon seeing said half-demon lounging against the wall of the building next to hers, the darkness of the alley shrouding him in shadow but the white of his hair, with the moon’s silver brilliant shinning down on it, was impossible to miss. Hastily but quietly she drew up the fire escape window that lead out onto a metal staircase and poked her head out, ignoring the chill of the night.

 

“What are you doing here?” she hissed, looking over her shoulder at her closed door. She doubted her father could hear from the other side of the apartment but it still made her cautious all the same.

 

“Come down,” he called up softly.

 

“Are you crazy?! No! I-I have homework to do!” He didn’t need to know that she’d given up on homework for the night. If her father found out she’d snuck out her window, she’d be in such deep crap that a bulldozer would probably be needed to find her again. Or something. Kagome sucked at analogies.*

 

“Fine. If you’re not coming down, then I’m coming up.” As if to prove he wasn’t lying, he bent his knees, preparing to jump onto the staircase and Kagome choked.

 

“No! I’ll—I’ll come down, just stay there! Jeez!” She disappeared back into her room, changed into a pair of jeans and grabbed a hoodie while stepping into some sneakers. “Persistent prick,” she mumbled and ignored Inuyasha’s remark of “I heard that” before locking her door and carefully climbing out the window, trying to make as less noise as possible lest her father decided to go to the bathroom or something at that moment.

 

With her heart pounding, she descended the staircase, missing Inuyasha’s very appreciative gaze on her jean-clad legs and listening carefully for any signs Kai might have heard her. She landed on the pavement with a soft thud, waited a beat and when nothing happened, she let herself relax a little and stomped over to the half-demon waiting for her.

 

“What could be so important that I had to sneak out of my window at this time of night and risk getting into trouble?! I’ll have you know if my father—”

 

“Put your hoodie on, idiot. It’s cold out.”

 

Kagome wondered how he could just indult her intelligence and make it sound like an endearment at the same time as she roughly yanked on the sweatshirt. “What do you want?” She pouted and crossed her arms, remembering how they had parting on less than amiable terms hours before.

 

“C’mon.” Inuyasha grabbed her hand and started dragging her out of the alley, Kagome sputtering in protest.

 

“But—but I can’t—”

 

“Shh. Do you want your dad to find out?”

 

That shut her up and she snapped her mouth closed with an audible click. Inuyasha refrained from chuckling in amusement, remembering that he was doing this for a reason. He could feel her glare on the back of his head and once they were on the sidewalk he released her hand to shove his hands into his jeans pockets. He’d forgotten to grab his jacket before leaving her apartment earlier but secretly he didn’t mind. When he finally got it back it would smell like Kagome and that was perfectly fine with him.

 

Kagome fell into step beside him and they were both silent as they walked down the deserted sidewalk, not looking at each other and each lost in their own thoughts. Kagome shivered and wrapped her arms around herself and Inuyasha wanted to tug her in close, share his body heat with her but she probably wouldn’t appreciate that right now so he clenched his hands into fists inside his pockets, gritting his teeth. He hated this tension between them, like there was a brick wall separating her from him and Inuyasha was desperate to destroy it.

 

As soon as he’d left Kagome’s apartment earlier, he’d immediately regretted it and wanted to go back and apologize but his pride wouldn’t allow it. So he’d forced himself to get back into his truck and drive away, although he hadn’t gone home because that was where Sesshomaru was since he was working from home today. He didn’t feel like getting into another lecture similar to the one this morning so he’d driven around aimlessly for a bit, thinking about going to Miroku’s for a while to kill some time but instead driving to the park and hanging out in his favorite tree. There he’d stewed over his thoughts for a bit, warred with the guilt, hurt and anger swirling around inside him like a storm until finally he hadn’t been able to take it anymore and headed back to Kagome’s.

 

Stealing a glance at the silent half-demon beside her, Kagome bit her lip and looked down, hunching her shoulders as she tried to think of something to say, anything to put an end to this awkward silence between them. She was still feeling like a fool for what she’d done after school and she wanted to apologize, but didn’t know how. She couldn’t just blurt out “I’m sorry” and be done with it. He deserved an explanation at the least and a promise from her to make it up to him, but she hadn’t the slightest clue where to start.

 

Kagome snuck another glance at him, deciding that she couldn’t take this silence any longer.

 

“In—”

 

“Don’t,” he cut her off and she snapped her jaw shut for the second time that night, her mocha orbs dropping to the ground. Inuyasha winced. He felt like a jerk, but if Kagome started talking now, he’d lose his nerve. He’d let her talk all she wanted afterward, but first he had to say his piece.

 

With a sigh, Inuyasha led her toward the park, his feet automatically taking him to his favorite tree. Kagome silently followed and he could practically feel the apprehension and wariness rolling off of her in waves and he didn’t need to look back to see that she was wringing her hands and biting down on her lip. A wry smile touched his lips; it was funny, how he already knew her so well and yet he’d only just met her the day before. It was one of the many reasons why he was so drawn to her. Kagome was an open book, her emotions as clear as day on her face and in those beautiful brown eyes. Vaguely he wondered if she knew she wore her heart on her sleeve like that and guessed that she probably didn’t. Kagome was honest, true and brave, someone who didn’t bother to hide behind a stoic mask because Kagome was…

 

“Kagome,” he answered aloud, finally coming to a stop before the old tree. Gathering his nerves, Inuyasha turned around to face the object of his thoughts and locked gazes with her. Kagome was Kagome, and she was perfect.

 

Heaving a sigh, he leaned back against the tree and regarded her silently with amber eyes that glinted in the moonlight. The thought of taking her in his arms and leaping up into the boughs crossed his mind but he quickly dismissed that idea. She wasn’t ready for any contact from him yet and he wanted to eliminate the awkwardness between them, not add to it.

 

Damn, where to start? “I’m an asshole.”

 

…Not what he had in mind, but whatever. He was never good with words anyway.

 

“I should’ve stopped when you told me to,” he continued at her somewhat alarmed look. “But I ignored you and took what I wanted instead, taking advantage of finally being alone together and pretty much just being a horny bastard.” The corners of his lips twitched when she blushed at the word “horny” but he fought the urge. He had more to say. “I didn’t know you were trying to tell me your little brother was home, and to be honest I _should_ have known.” He tapped his nose meaningfully. “But I admit I was distracted and you smelled so fucking good that I ignored it and pretty much attacked you.”

 

“You didn’t attack me,” Kagome mumbled, her face a soft pink. He probably wouldn’t have been able to tell if the moon hadn’t been out and casting its silver brilliance upon the land.

 

Inuyasha shrugged. “Call it what you want, but I didn’t give you a chance to say no, ignored you when you did, and I’m a sleazy rotten buttface crotch Nazi.”

 

Kagome ducked her head to hide her smile and raised a hand to stifle the giggle that bubbled up in her throat. “You are,” she agreed softly and she missed the relieved smile curling Inuyasha’s lips.

 

“I know it looks bad, but I didn’t ask to come in because I thought we would be alone,” he remarked, serious once again. “I just…wanted to spend a bit more time with you and I was putting off going home. Please believe me when I say that.” His eyes bore into hers, the sincerity plain as day in his honey pools.

 

Kagome stared back, a slight frown marring her features. It _had_ crossed her mind that perhaps he only wanted to come in so he could do _that_ and she was glad that it wasn’t the case. She believed him when he said he wanted to spend time with her, and she told him as much, inwardly smiling at the relieved look that crossed his features. Though she did wonder why he didn’t want to go home. Did he get in a fight with his parents or something? It wasn’t her place to ask so she stamped down the urge to question him. She could tell he still had more to say, so she waited patiently, in a much better mood now than she was when they left.

 

“Also,” he began sheepishly. “I shouldn’t have been such an ass and immature about you ignoring me. I know it was just your defenses kicking in to protect you from embarrassment and having to explain an awkward situation to your kid brother. I get that now. Back then I was too pissed off to see that because, well, to be frank I don’t like being ignored.” He shrugged helplessly. “Getting pissed off was _my_ way of hiding from my true feelings of hurt and confusion. It was a cover up, and a stupid one to boot.”

 

Kagome couldn’t argue with that.

 

Inuyasha released a heavy sigh, blowing out his cheeks and thrusting a clawed hand through his hoary tresses. He closed his eyes briefly then once more locked gazes with her. “I guess…what I’m trying to say is I’m sorry, babydoll. You…you make me feel things that I haven’t felt in a long time.” Teary eyed russet eyes flashed through his mind and he quickly shook his head. “Because of that I get stupid. You’re welcome to give me a swift kick in the balls the next time it happens.”

 

He was rewarded with another timid smile. Inuyasha swallowed thickly. “Forgive me?”

 

Kagome didn’t even have to think. Fighting the urge to cry at his heartfelt explanation and apology, she nodded and bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She felt like a boob, wanting to cry because of a simple apology but she couldn’t help it. It was just so…so sincere, and honest, and beautiful.

 

Inuyasha’s ears drooped low on his head. “Oh, baby,” he whispered and opened his arms. “C’mere.”

 

And Kagome was suddenly pressed against his chest, her arms around his waist and her head buried in his shoulder. His arms pulled her close and swiftly her feet left the ground and all she could do was hold on, trusting him not to drop her as he leapt up into the boughs of the giant tree. Strangely she didn’t feel afraid as he settled them on the thickest branch, leaning back against the truck and situating her between his legs with his arms still secured around her middle. A blush stole across her cheeks at their proximity but she leaned against him anyway, absorbing his warmth, the beat of his heart a reassuring tattoo against her back.

 

“I’m sorry, too,” Kagome finally said at length and she received a tender squeeze. “I just…I’ve never…I’m not used to…” She bit her lip, trying to find the words to explain to him why she reacted the way she did without sounding like a prude.

 

_“A prude. Surprising; you’re definitely not the type he usually goes for.”_

Kagome stiffened when those words suddenly came back to her and a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold traveled the length of her spine. Unfortunately Inuyasha hadn’t missed it and leaned forward to peer into her face, a concerned frown plastered on his features.

 

“Babydoll? What’s the matter? You got all tense.”

 

“N-nothing,” she hastily replied and tossed him a wan smile. “Just…cold chill, is all. I’m okay.”

 

He bought it and tugged her closer.

 

Taking a deep breath, Kagome banished any and all thoughts of _him_ out of her mind and concentrated on the here and now, trying once more to enlighten him of her reaction. “I’ve never…” She hesitated again and this time the half-demon came to her rescue as his chin came to rest on her head.

 

“You’ve never been with a guy.” He nuzzled her hair and breathed in her scent.

 

Kagome blushed but nodded. “Yes. And you’re right, I was embarrassed and to cover it up I pretended like it never happened, acted like you weren’t even there and I’m—I’m sorry. It was a mean thing to do, childish and just…” She wrinkled her nose.   “It was like I was on autopilot, my body moving on its own before my brain could even comprehend what it was doing. I suppose it was one of those fight or flight situations and instinctively I chose flight to save myself the embarrassment and awkwardness.” She leaned to the side slightly to peek up at his face and he pulled back enough so their eyes met. “Can you forgive me, too?”

 

He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her nose. “Of course, babydoll. I was never mad at you. It was all me.”

 

“No, it wasn’t—”

 

“Enough,” he said gently and kissed her temple. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Just…stay with me.” Inuyasha rested his forehead on her shoulder, tightening his arms around his precious babydoll.

 

Kagome smiled and reached up to tenderly rub an ear. “Thank you, Inuyasha.”

 

“Call me Yash.”

 

A pause, then, “…Thank you, Yash.”

 

Inuyasha smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Meaning, I suck at analogies. 
> 
> THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HARDEST CHAPTERS I HAVE EVER WRITTEN FOR ANY STORY. 
> 
> I hate talking about feelings. I loathe it. 
> 
> On a random and completely irrelevant note, I bought Chile y Limon Pringles and they’re fucking fantastic. *munch*


	15. Chapter 15

Much to Kagome’s chagrin, she and Inuyasha ended up staying out until the wee hours of the morning, but it was only because every time she mentioned that she should be getting home, the little devil half-demon would beg her to stay with him and look at her with great big puppy eyes that she found was impossible to say no to. So she dozed on and off in Inuyasha’s arms, his arms and legs encasing her and keeping her nice and toasty, until about five in the morning where she finally persuaded him to take her back home. After all, she would be “getting up” in about an hour and had to shower and get breakfast ready for her family. So reluctantly her half-demon companion pulled her onto his back (he’d argued it was the fastest way at her hesitant look) and took off for her home.

 

It only took five minutes since they were traveling via Hanyou Express as dubbed by Kagome (said hanyou had snorted at that joke but smiled at his passenger’s giggling) and she’d clung to him as he effortlessly scaled the metal stair case and climbed through her window. Instead of putting her down when she’d requested, however, Inuyasha walked over to her bed, turned around then unceremoniously dropped her onto the mattress, smirking at Kagome’s surprised squeak. She’d thrown a pillow at him in retaliation and for the next ten minutes, World War 3 had commenced in Kagome’s bedroom where the pillow fight had somehow developed into a sort of playful wrestling match. Said teenager had emerged victorious from the battle, claiming her throne atop Inuyasha’s stomach and holding a fist of triumph aloft and Inuyasha had never seen her look more beautiful than she did right then.

 

Afterward, they just talked quietly to each other and Inuyasha learned that Kagome enjoyed cooking enough to the point where she’d maybe want to pursue it in college, and Kagome learned that drawing was one of his favorite pastimes. When she brought up the prospective of college, Inuyasha had fallen silent and she didn’t push it any further, instead changing the subject. When the golden-eyed teen had motioned to the picture frame on her nightstand, it was Kagome’s turn to hesitate in providing information and thankfully he hadn’t asked any more about it either. Inuyasha didn’t like it that his babydoll wasn’t willing in sharing everything with him, but he supposed he didn’t really have any right to think like that. After all, he had his secrets as well, more than one, and he wasn’t ready to relive those just yet. Perhaps someday, when he and Kagome were closer, but for now, he’d let sleeping dogs lie.

 

Before both teenagers knew it, 6 AM had rolled around and it was time for him to leave, however reluctantly it was. He still had no desire to see his brother, but at least he’d be able to avoid the full demon by sneaking into his window to shower and change clothes. He’d leave for school the same way and remembering that he’d only be seeing Kagome in a few short hours brightened his mood considerably. So with a promise to see her around 7:30 when he’d pick her up, Inuyasha disappeared out her window, leaving Kagome to start her morning routine.

 

**-X-**

 

After that night with Inuyasha that had stretched into the morning hours, the days seemed to fly by for Kagome and before she knew it Friday afternoon had arrived and math had just ended, signaling the start of the weekend. She wasn’t at all surprised to find the half-demon lounging in front of her locker; he’d been making a habit of waiting for her every day now and it never failed to make her feel all warm inside. She wasn’t expecting, however, to find Sango and Miroku with him and she blinked in confusion but their presence was welcome nonetheless.

 

“Hi, guys,” she greeted with a smile and Inuyasha moved so she could put away her things, eyeing her skirt with distaste. Although he enjoyed the view it gave him of her shapely legs, he didn’t like the fact that it gave everybody else a view – namely other boys – and also he wanted to see her in jeans again, remembering how the material had clung to her legs and stretched over her perfect ass as she’d climbed down that metal staircase all those days ago…

 

“Hey,” the two humans chorused, turned to each other, blinked, and then simultaneously yelled, “Jinx! Double jinx! Triple jinx!”

 

“Shut up, you owe me a back rub!” Sango swiftly ended that debate with a smack to his head.

 

“Dammit, why are you so abusive?” Miroku groused, rubbing the back of his head with a pout. Inuyasha laughed at him and received a middle finger in reply.

 

“Because fuck you,” Sango answered then turned to Kagome who was watching the exchange with amusement. “So the boys are coming over to my house to get fat on junk food, watch lame B horror movies on Netflix and drink soda until fizz is coming out of our noses. It’s something we do every Friday night and we’d like you to join us, Kagome.” Sango smiled, truly hoping she would say yes. While she loved the boys, it would be nice to have a female friend to talk to and she’d really grown attached to Kagome in the short time she’d known her. The chocolate-eyed girl was friendly, if a bit shy, but compassionate and had just the right amount of quirkiness to fit in with their little group of misfits. Plus, Sango knew that Inuyasha was freakin’ connected to the hip with her and anywhere he goes, he was sure to make sure Kagome was with him. It was nice to see her friend so into another girl like this, but at the same time she just hoped he was careful. She was there when shit hit the fan with Kikyou and while the maple-eyed teenager knew Kagome wasn’t anything like the hanyou’s ex, she still cared for him and didn’t want to see him get hurt.

 

At the invitation, Kagome’s eyes lit up and she looked like she was about to jump right on board and say yes, but suddenly her expression changed and hesitation was clear in her mocha eyes. She worried her lower lip, grabbing the necessary textbooks for homework over the weekend and depositing them in her bag, closing her locker. “I…I dunno,” she finally said at length and Sango frowned. She knew she’d been just about to accept but something was stopping her.

 

Before Sango could say anything, Inuyasha beat her to the punch. “Well, why the hell not? And don’t tell me you have to do homework; it’s the weekend, Kagome. You can do it Sunday.” He crossed his arms and frowned at her, daring her to challenge him on this. He wasn’t about to take no for an answer. Spending the weekend with Kagome was something he was looking forward to ever since that morning.

 

Kagome wrinkled her nose and shook her head, shrugging on Inuyasha’s jacket without thinking twice about it. She’d tried to give it back several times during the week, but each time he’d refuse and insist she keep it since she was a “weak human” and needed it more than he did. She’d finally given up and figured if he wanted it back he’d just ask.

 

“It’s not that,” she answered. “I…don’t know if my father will let me.” She winced, knowing how it sounded but there wasn’t much she could do about it because it was true.

 

Sango blinked and even Miroku looked slightly incredulous.

 

“Care to elaborate?” Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“It’s…complicated,” Kagome said. “My father…um…he’s very protective of Souta and I, and he doesn’t like it if we go out on our own to a house full of people he hasn’t met. Especially boys. He’s old fashioned that way, I suppose.” She shrugged and looked down, resisting the urge to scuff her shoe against the floor in a childish manner. In truth, her life at home was a lot more complicated than a protective father, but Kagome couldn’t delve in deeper and bring everything out in the open.

 

“What are about your m—”

 

“What if Sango went home with you and met your dad!?” Inuyasha interrupted Miroku’s question _quite_ loudly and directed a glare toward his friend that Kagome missed. She’d known what his question was going to be and had stiffened up, her face paling slightly and her hands tightening on the strap to her messenger bag.

 

“Actually, that could work,” Sango stated, giving the half-demon a weird look at his louder than usual tones. She turned her attention to Kagome and offered a smile. “You’re dad doesn’t have to know Mir and Yash will be there. You can say it’ll just be me and you hanging out, watching some movies and my parents will be there as well so it’s not like we’ll be home alone.” Sango clasped her hands together and pouted, fluttering her eyelashes at her new friend. “Please, Kagome? You’re like my only girlfriend and I really want to hang out with you! Please don’t let me hang out with these two idiots all by myself. Pleeasseeee?”

 

Kagome glanced over at the hanyou and bit back a smile; she knew he’d cut Miroku off on purpose and was grateful for it. Focusing back on Sango, however, she bit her lip and hesitated. “You mean…lie?”

 

“Not really a _lie_ , just…omitting a few facts. Or boys…whatever. C’mon, Kagome. It’ll be fun, I promise!” Sango begged her and Kagome’s resolve weakened.

 

“Well…” She’d never lied to her father before, because nothing good could ever come out of it, and she really didn’t want to start now. Kai Higurashi was a very smart man and could probably detect a lie when one was given to him, and add to the fact that Kagome was horrible at lying. Surely her father would see right through her act…

 

Suddenly a warm, calloused palm was cupping her cheek and Kagome’s head snapped up to find pleading golden eyes staring into her own and automatically her cheeks flushed a soft pink. When had he moved?

 

“Please, babydoll?” he whispered softly enough so their friends couldn’t hear and gently swiped his thump across the flushed skin of her cheek.

 

“I…but…” Kagome opened and closed her mouth, searching for words but with the way he was looking down at her speech was impossible. How could she think when he was looking at her like that?!  


A slow smile surfaced on Inuyasha’s features. Just a little more and her hesitance would disappear. “I wanna spend more time with you,” he goaded and his claw tenderly traced the outline of her lips. Kagome was grateful he was blocking Sango and Miroku from seeing just what he was doing. “Don’t you wanna be with me, too?” Puppy Eyes Engaged.

 

Kagome whimpered. “Not fair,” she breathed and Inuyasha smiled innocently. With a resigned sigh, the raven haired teenager grimaced and finally gave in with a nod.

 

“That’s my girl.” Inuyasha brushed a kiss across her nose, to which her flush deepened and stepped back, a look akin to a mixture of accomplishment and self-satisfaction etched onto his handsome features.

 

 _He really needs to stop doing that,_ Kagome inwardly groused then turned to the hopeful Sango and smiled. “Okay,” she said and the maple eyed girl squealed and clapped her hands.

 

“Then c’mon, what are we waiting for?!” Sango grabbed Kagome’s hand and started dragging her down the hall, excited that her new friend was joining in on their Friday night ritual. “Don’t worry, Kagome, if you feel uncomfortable about lying, just let me do the talking and I’ll answer any questions your dad might have.” She threw a reassuring smile Kagome’s way and said girl relaxed slightly, returning her smile.

 

 _Maybe it’ll work,_ Kagome thought as she fell into step beside Sango, who was going on a mile a minute about the things they’d do when they got to her place. _With Sango there it’ll be a bit more convincing. And besides…_ Biting her lip, the chocolate-eyed teenager glanced over her shoulder at the two boys lagging behind them; however they lingered on amber eyes and silver hair.

 

 _…I really do want to go._  


	16. Chapter 16

The four high-school students all piled into Inuyasha’s truck and headed toward Kagome’s apartment, Kagome as usual stationed in the passenger’s seat with Miroku and Sango seated in the back. While they were discussing which movies to watch and if they should stop by the store to get more snacks, Kagome was silent and staring out the window with a slight frown and if it wouldn’t have made her uncomfortable or embarrassed, Inuyasha would have reached across and took her hand.  And, he had to remind himself constantly now, he’d silently promised that night in the park that he would stop being so touchy-feely with her and give Kagome some space.  He’d been doing well and sticking to it during the week, but it was difficult sometimes, especially when she looked so damn worried and adorable, sitting there biting down on her lip and wringing her hands nervously in her lap and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and take away her worry. 

Idly he wondered just how “protective” her father was and he had an inkling there was more than meets the eye in this situation, but he wouldn’t question her on it.  For now, at least. “Don’t look so worried,” he said because he couldn’t take it any longer. He had to get that apprehensive look off those beautiful features.  Kagome blinked and turned her gaze toward him.  One side of his mouth kicked up into a smile but he kept his eyes on the road. “I’m sure your dad will be glad that you’re making friends and he’ll let you hang out with them for a bit. Isn’t that what all parents want for their children when they transfer schools?” He flicked on his signal and turned right. 

Kagome blinked and cocked her head. She saw his point. “I suppose you’re right,” she relented and a tiny smile quirked her mouth upwards.  He inwardly cheered. Score!  Now that she thought about it, Kai hadn’t put up much of a fight when Souta asked if a friend could come over to play Xbox. Perhaps the result would be the same if she asked to go over to a friend’s house? 

“Keh. Course I am,” he replied with a smug grin and Kagome rolled her eyes but not without a tolerant smile. 

He pulled up in front of the brownstone and the two girls exited with a quick “be back soon” from Sango. Kagome wasn’t nearly as optimistic, but Inuyasha’s littlie pep talk, if one could even call it that, heightened her spirits a bit and she was only a little nervous as she led her friend into her apartment building.  They ascended the stairs in no time, Kagome slightly jealous that Sango didn’t even seem to be out of breath after climbing three flights, but she supposed for someone with the highest grade in PE, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. 

Since her father tended to come home from work early on Fridays, the door was unlocked and Kagome ushered Sango inside, closing the door behind her.

Hearing the front door open and close, Kai Higurashi stood up from the couch and strode toward the two and evidently he’d changed after coming home, donned in a pair of comfortable slacks and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. “Kagome,” he greeted with a hint of surprise, his eyebrows lifted slightly.  “You’re home a little earlier than usual.” His brown eyes flicked over to Sango and his brows lowered slightly in confusion. 

Crap. “Good afternoon, Father,” Kagome greeted and bowed slightly. “Um, I—uh—” She couldn’t say she’d gotten a ride home because then he’d ask from who and she definitely couldn’t say Inuyasha. 

“A lot of the professors at our school let the students out early on Fridays if the last lesson of the day is short and today our math teacher dismissed us early since we only covered one chapter,” Sango smoothly lied and Kagome wanted to gape at her. 

Kai’s brows snapped even lower at that and he put his hands on his hips.

Quickly Sango bowed and stayed that way for a moment or two. “Forgive my rudeness, Mr. Higurashi. My name is Sango Kuwashima and I’m a friend of Kagome’s. We’re in a lot of classes together and I’ve helped her around school and showed her where her classes are. It’s very nice to meet you.” Finally she straightened up and aimed a friendly smile at Kagome’s father, her hands clasped politely in front of her. 

Kagome watched with bated breath as her father studied Sango closely, his expression revealing nothing until finally his features softened slightly and he nodded.  She released a breath of relief and even Sango’s muscles relaxed a bit. 

“You as well, Miss Kuwashima. Thank you for showing kindness to my daughter and showing her around.  It’s nice to know Kagome is spending her time with a respectable girl like yourself.”

Sango actually blushed, much to Kagome’s surprise. “Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome.  Would you like some tea, Miss Kuwashima? Kagome can prepare it.” 

“Actually, Mr. Higurashi, I’m here to ask you something,” Sango remarked and Kai arched a single eyebrow before gesturing to continue.  Steeling herself, she continued.  “I invited Kagome over to my house to study for a while and perhaps watch a few movies and stay the night.”

The object of discussion whipped her head around to stare incredulously at her friend. While she agreed that the study bit would probably be more effective in getting him to agree but the other part was new. Stay the night?! She hadn’t agreed to that!

Once more, a frown marred Kai’s tanned features and he crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at the two teenaged girls, eyes identical to Kagome’s flicking back and forth between them. “Stay the night, you say,” he repeated and rubbed his jaw in a contemplative gesture Kagome was familiar with when he was seriously considering something. Was he actually…?

Sango forged on, a hopeful glint in her maple eyes.  “Yes, sir. My parents will also be home all night so we won’t be alone, and I can give you my house phone number as well for your peace of mind. I really like Kagome and I’d really enjoy it if she could come over for a girl’s night. You see, I don’t have many girlfriends, only a younger brother, and it’s nice to have someone to talk to about…well, girl things. Please consider it.” Sango finished sincerely and bowed again, but only briefly this time.

Kai nodded his head slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmm.  Kagome has a younger brother, too. While I don’t understand what consists of this ‘girl talk’ and probably never will, I do know that Kagome didn’t have many close friends at her previous school, or what friends she did have, none of them have ever approached me and asked to come over, or vice versa. So,” Mr. Higurashi slid his gaze to his daughter and the hopeful shine in her eyes clinched the deal. He nodded. “Kagome has my permission to spend the night with you, Miss Kuwashima.” Kagome smiled brightly and his chest tightened.  “I won’t need your phone number. I believe you when you say your parents will be there as well, and I trust you and my daughter.” 

A smile much like the one on Kagome’s face spread across Sango’s features and she bowed several times to the older Higurashi, ecstatic that Kagome would be staying over. “Thank you so much, Mr. Higurashi! I really appreciate it!” 

Kagome wanted to throw her arms around her father and jump for joy but forced herself to stand still, knowing he didn’t condone that kind of behavior but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Thank you, Father!” Kagome bowed as well and Kai smiled. It had been so long since his daughter had smiled like that.

“C’mon, Kagome. I’ll help your pack your things.  Where’s your room?” Sango inquired, nearly levitating with excitement. 

“Oh! This way!” Kagome zoomed way and Kai had never seen his daughter move so fast.

Sango went to follow, but a large hand landed on her shoulder and she paused to stare inquisitively up at Kagome’s father.

He stared down at her and the gratitude in his eyes had Sango’s round slightly in awe. “Thank you for being her friend, Sango,” he said and squeezed her shoulder.  “It’s nice to see Kagome smile again. It’s been a…hard few months.” He didn’t elaborate any further and withdrew his hand to thrust it into his hair.

Sango’s eyes softened and an understanding smile curled her lips.  “Kagome’s a wonderful person and I’m honored to be considered her friend, Mr. Higurashi. I’ll keep that smile on her face. I promise.” With one last bow, Sango disappeared down the hallway after his daughter.

Entering Kagome’s bedroom, Sango withdrew her phone from her pocket and shot a text to the boys saying it worked and they’d be down in a few. After re-pocketing the device, she looked up to find Kagome sitting on her bed and sending her a narrow eyed look. She blinked innocently.

“What?”

“Stay the night? I never agreed to that, Sango.” Kagome folded her arms and eyed her friend.

Drats. “Um…please stay the night?” Sango smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. 

The raven-haired girl groaned while her friend giggled and together the two of them packed up some clothes for Kagome to wear along with toiletries and some textbooks to make it look like she really would be studying.  Sango managed to persuade the shy girl to change into a pair of jeans and swap out her skirts she’d packed away for them, Kagome only agreeing because she didn’t want Miroku’s hands up her skirt all weekend long, if what Sango said was true that his hands tended to wander. Plus, the boys would most likely be spending the night too so it was a dangerous garment to wear.

Upon hearing this Kagome had panicked slightly, the prospect of sleeping in the same room with Inuyasha making her heart pound, but then she remembered how hands-off he’d been lately, not touching her nearly as much as he had been before and the idea didn’t seem so bad anymore. Besides, Sango would be there, she’d keep Miroku in line and she knew Inuyasha wouldn’t try anything. 

Feeling better and even a little excited, Kagome shouldered her bag, slipped on her sneakers and grabbed Inuyasha’s jacket before exiting her room with Sango following behind.  Either had father hadn’t noticed the unfamiliar jacket she’d been wearing or didn’t particularly care, but either way she was grateful he hadn’t asked. She suspected it was the former since Sango had distracted him with her introduction and question. 

“Bye, Father.  I’ll see you tomorrow.” She opened the front door when her father’s voice stopped her.

“You may stay until Sunday, if you’d like, Kagome,” Kai said and Kagome turned wide mocha eyes his way, her mouth parting slightly in surprise. Sango held her breath, hoping that her friend would indeed stay until Sunday.

“R-really?” she questioned softly, her eyes lighting up.

Kai nodded. “Of course, Kagome. But,” he wagged a finger at her and said sternly, “I don’t want any excuses about not having time to get your homework done. I won’t have my daughter failing her classes because I allowed her to spend the weekend with a friend.”

“Yes, yes, of course Father! I promise I’ll get it done!” She beamed at him and grabbing Sango’s hand, the two left her apartment to rejoin the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t want to make Kagome’s dad a complete asshole…what dad doesn’t want to see his child happy?


	17. Chapter 17

The five minute drive to Sango’s house – Inuyasha had commented that he was glad they all lived in the same vicinity – was filled with excited chatter, mostly from an extremely exuberate Sango who was simply ecstatic that Kagome was joining them, going on how their number was even now, with two girls and two boys, how fun it would be to torture said boys with their “feminine wiles” and oh my God, can Inuyasha drive any faster?! 

Kagome had dissolved into helpless giggles at Inuyasha’s exasperated look as he continued to drive and the look he sent her plainly read “gee, thanks” and that only served to fuel her giggle fit. By that time Sango was laughing too, and Miroku couldn’t quite contain a few amused chuckles of his own. The half-demon of the group rolled his golden eyes but couldn’t stop the fond smile curling his lips as a soft “keh” escaped him.  His friends were weird, but…he wouldn’t trade them for the world.

By the time he’d pulled into Sango’s large driveway, both girls were red-faced and down to soft snickers and hurriedly the maple-eyed girl climbed out and ushered Kagome to do the same, telling – more like demanding – Inuyasha to grab Kagome’s things before grabbing her hand and rushing inside, eager to introduce her new friend to her parents.  No doubt they’d be happy to know that their daughter had another girl to hang out with and not just two boys. That couldn’t be healthy… 

Since he was planning on to anyway, Inuyasha made no complaints as he snatched Kagome’s bag from the backseat before he and Miroku followed after the girls at a more leisurely pace, knowing Sango would probably want to introduce Kagome to her parents and show her around a bit. And as predicted, as they walked through the front door that Sango had left open in her haste, they could hear their friend’s parental units voices as they greeted Kagome and with shouted greetings of their own from the dining room, the boys continued on upstairs to what they dubbed The Hangout, the room the three of them spent every Friday in since they’ve been friends. 

Back downstairs, Kagome bowed deeply to Sango’s parents. “It’s very nice to meet you,” she said sincerely and straightened up to offer a shy smile. 

Sango’s mother, Midoriko Kuwashima (“But you can call me Midori, dear,”) returned the smile and her soft cinnamon eyes glowed brightly down at her. Sango’s new friend was adorable and she truly hoped she’d be seeing more of her.  Her husband, Masahiko, nodded and directed a warm smile of his own at the mocha eyed teenage girl, thinking that she seemed trustworthy and silently commended his daughter’s choice in friends.

Beaming, glad that her parents approved of Kagome, Sango explained that they’d be upstairs in The Hangout and could they order a pizza for dinner? After receiving an affirmative, Sango gave a brief tour to the overwhelmed ebony-locked young woman of downstairs, showing where the second bathroom was just in case the one upstairs was occupied, the two girls headed upstairs and Sango described where her bedroom and the second floor bathroom was before leading the way into The Hangout where Inuyasha and Miroku had already fired up the Xbox and were currently sitting on front of the TV murdering the enemy on Black Ops. Kagome was only familiar with the game because Souta owned the same one and she  _might_  have spent an hour or two playing when nobody was home…several times. 

The second Kagome’s scent reached his nose, however, Inuyasha put down his controller – his character exploded in about a second – and walked over to the couch where she’d sat down, plopping next to her and stretching his arms across the back.  Sango took Inuyasha’s discarded controller and joined Miroku in shooting everything in sight – including Miroku’s character, turning it into a game of “who can find and kill who first.” It was amusing to watch, to say the least, especially since Sango was quite spectacularly beating – or more accurately slaying – Miroku’s ass.*

Chuckling at her female friend’s taunts to the violet eyed boy, Kagome took a moment to look around the room they were in, impressed with what she found.  It was a fairly large room, about the size of a living room, with a refrigerator no doubt stocked with food and a microwave.  There were bean bag chairs and recliners scattered about, another couch similar to the one she and Inuyasha were sitting on and several futons stacked on top of each other against the wall. On either side of the large flat screen television were two large DVD wall racks fully supplied with hundreds of movies and games. Kagome decided it was her favorite room in the entire house.

“Whaddaya think?” Inuyasha questioned beside her after catching her looking around.

“It’s…pretty amazing,” she admitted softly with an awed look on her face with a hint of wistfulness shining in her beautiful brown eyes.

Inuyasha couldn’t help but feel slightly proud of what she thought of their hangout, even though it was all Sango’s parent’s doing – they were fucking awesome. Still, he was glad that she approved and hoped that it would be a regular thing for her to join them here every Friday after school. Kagome belonged with him—with  _them_ and if her father eventually found out that she was with two boys every Friday after school, well, tough shit. He wasn’t about to be separated from her and if that meant getting in Kai Higurashi’s face and saying in no uncertain terms that Kagome will not be taken from him, then so be it. It might piss his babydoll off a little, but hopefully by then – if it ever does happen – she’d have the same feelings for him that he was already beginning to develop for her and she wouldn’t stop him.

Satisfied with his strategy if shit hit the fan, Inuyasha sat back and watched his friends kill each other for another half an hour or so until Miroku apparently got fed up or bored with getting assassinated by the girl he was crushing on and tossed his controller down in defeat, to which Sango did a little victory dance while still seated on the floor. 

“It’s a stupid game anyway,” Miroku groused as he stood up and stretched his back.  “I could go for some pizza right about now,” he said and Sango whipped out her mobile to order a large sheet pizza with extra toppings. 

“Kagome, do you want any toppings in particular?” Sango asked, craning her neck all the way back so she was gazing at her friend upside down with the phone pressed to her ear. 

Said girl snickered at her friend’s position. “No, I’m good.” She paused, and then wrinkled her nose. “Just no anchovies.” 

Beside her, Inuyasha shuddered and vehemently agreed. 

“Extra sausage and banana peppers!” Miroku piped up from inside the fridge he was rummaging around for a drink and Sango rolled her eyes but conveyed the message to the person taking her order.

“Yo, Miro, gimme a Dew!” 

“You have two legs and a heartbeat, what’s stopping you?”

“My foot up your ass if you don’t give me my damn soda.”

While Kagome smashed her hand against her mouth to stifle her giggles, Miroku rolled his eyes and obediently grabbed the green beverage for his friend. “How ‘bout you, Kagome? Want anything?” He lifted his head enough to peer over the top of the door so the only thing Kagome could see was his purple eyes and half of his nose. 

“Um, Diet Pepsi?” she asked hesitantly and Inuyasha smiled. She was so damn cute sometimes.

“Comin’ right up,” Miroku announced and a minute later two cans of soda were sailing through the air toward the pair on the couch and before Kagome could draw a gasp since the object was flying toward her face, clawed hands shot out and expertly snatched them from the air and she relaxed.

“Miroku, you idiot,” Inuyasha snapped, glaring at his friend as he popped open Kagome’s soda for her and handed it over.  If either one of those cans had hit his babydoll, his friend would be sporting a nicely sized lump on his dumb noggin. 

To his credit, the black-haired human winced and glanced at Kagome apologetically. “Sorry, Kagome. I…forgot.” 

Kagome took a sip of the cool beverage before smiling and waving it off. “It’s alright, Miroku. Inuyasha saved me so no harm done.” She turned her smile to the half-demon beside her and he resisted the urge to blush, scoffing softly as he raised his own drink to his lips. 

“Pizza will be here in about twenty minutes,” Sango announced as she stood up and tucked away her phone. “I’m going downstairs to get some paper plates, napkins and snacks. Inuyasha, Kagome, go ahead and pick a movie on Netflix or one on the racks.” She headed for the door.  “Miroku, come with me.”

“But—”

“Now.”

He sighed and followed after her but secretly happy that she requested his presence. “Yes, dear.” He was smiling as he followed her out the door, leaving the two on the couch alone. 

Kagome narrowed her eyes as she took another gulp of her Diet. “I’ve been meaning to ask…” she started and her companion raised a brow. “…Are they dating?”

Inuyasha snorted behind his Mountain Dew can and lowered it to answer her.  “You’d think they were, but formally they’re not.” He shrugged and tapped a claw against the aluminum of his beverage. “I mean, San’s ass is the one Miro grabs the most and a lot of the time she lets him off with a simple thwack to the head, and even then it’s not as hard as it used to be. Plus I’ve seen them making out before too so for all intents and purposes they are but haven’t really officialized anything.”

“Um, Yash?”

“What?”

“…‘Officialized’ is a big word for you to use.”

“Oi!”

Kagome giggled and Inuyasha couldn’t even act annoyed. He chuckled along with her, shaking his head.  “Smartass.”

“My ass thanks you for acknowledging its intellect.” 

Inuyasha groaned in an exaggerated manner as his cheeky babydoll cackled next to him. 

“Anyway,” the silver-locked hanyou said as he stood up. “We need to pick out a movie. C’mon, smarty pants.” Before Kagome could move, he bent down and snagged her around the waist, only to straighten up and throw her over his shoulder. 

Kagome squealed as her face flamed to suddenly find herself hanging over Inuyasha’s shoulder with quite the stupendous view of his backside presented before her. “In-Inuyasha! Put me down!” She smacked her hands against his back weakly and couldn’t help but realize how muscled it was.  

“Nah.” With relative ease, he kept an arm snuggly around her middle to keep her anchored there as he strode across the room to switch the game off and use the controller to bring up the Netflix application.  “Lessee, horror movies…”

Squirming around, his hostage tried to escape his grasp by pushing against his back and kicking her feet but to no avail.  None of it seemed to bother the half-demon and it just made her even more frustrated.  “Put me down, Inuyasha,” she hissed but without any real heat and she had to fight to keep the smile off of her face. She didn’t want to admit it aloud, but…she was having fun joking around with Inuyasha like this and it reminded her of their time in her room when they were play wrestling. 

“Or what?” Inuyasha teased as he scrolled through the horror movie selections, his lips kicking up into a grin. 

“Or…or I’ll…I’ll bite you!” she exclaimed and snapped her teeth together as if to emphasize her threat.

“That so?” 

Before she realized what was happening, she was being dragged off his shoulder and suddenly she was in his arms bridal style. She blinked up at him and her face flushed. 

Inuyasha regarded her with smoldering amber eyes that had Kagome’s heart skipping a beat in her chest. He licked his lips and her breath caught in her throat. “Kagome Higurashi,” he whispered, his breath fanning over her lips and it was then that Kagome realized that his mouth was very close to her own. “Are you threatening me?” 

Swallowing thickly, the girl in his arms stared up at him with wide russet orbs as her hands came up to clutch at his tee shirt. “M-maybe,” she breathed and wondered just what the hell she was doing.

A deep growl rumbled from within his chest and she felt it more than heard it, the vibration sending a shiver coursing down the length of her spine. His eyes flashed with something indecipherable as he leaned closer still, his nose brushing against hers. 

“You know,” he said huskily. “I don’t take kindly to being threatened.”

“Oh, y-yeah?” Kagome whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his.

“Yeah.” 

Kagome’s eyes fluttered closed without her permission and involuntarily her head tipped back, her mouth parting under his warm breath. Another deep growl thundered in Inuyasha’s chest and unable to resist anymore, he closed the distance between them—

The door slammed open.  “Pizza’s he—!  _Oh shit._ ”

 

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Didja see what I did there? XD
> 
> *gets bricked*


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to post chapter eighteen when I posted it on tumblr last month. Oops. So because of my forgetfulness, you get two chapters today. Enjoy!

_Dammit, what the hell am I doing?! I promised—fuck!_

Cursing himself to hell in back, praying that Kagome wouldn’t be mad or upset with him and not hate him for his slip up, Inuyasha closed his eyes and took a calming breath, looking for all intents and purposes like he was calm and cool. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Kagome had covered her red race with her hands and she was trying to make herself as small as possible in his arms, the embarrassment rolling off of her in waves.

 

Deciding it would be best to put her down and not only give her some space, but to distance himself from her as well, Inuyasha sighed gently and walked back over to the couch to gently set her down. Her position didn’t change, still hiding her scarlet face behind her hands and hunching in on herself and when he leaned in to brush his cheek against hers, he was thankful and relieved that she didn’t flinch away from him.

 

“Sorry, babydoll,” he whispered in her ear then stood up and headed for the door.

 

Miroku stood quietly off to the side, having put the pizza and wings on a table and ignoring Sango’s confused looks between him and their half-demon friend from inside the doorway. She’d come a few seconds later and had missed what he’d witnessed so it didn’t come to a surprise that she had no idea what was going on. When she caught sight of Kagome, though, shrinking in on herself on the couch and with her face in her hands Sango immediately rushed over, not understanding what was going on but needing to comfort her friend all the same.

 

_I’m going to die,_ Miroku thought as Inuyasha walked toward the door, looking decidedly calm however Miroku knew better than to think he wouldn’t be getting away with this. It was obvious he had walked in on a rather private moment between his best friend and the target of his affections so he’d be lucky if he escaped with just a minor beating.

 

“Miroku,” Inuyasha rumbled as he passed him and the black-haired human tensed up. “Come with me.” The hanyou stepped out of the room and the human male unenthusiastically followed, fearing for his life.

 

Sango watched the two leave with a puzzled expression, sitting beside the obviously distressed Kagome and she wanted to blurt out the questions running around in her brain but she didn’t want to upset her friend any further, so she sat quietly and rubbed Kagome’s back soothingly, leaning down to try and peer into her face but she had yet to remove her hands. Sango bit her lip, worried. What exactly had happened for Kagome to end up like this? She knew her new friend was very shy and wasn’t used to the attention that Inuyasha gave her, so drawing from that information perhaps something had happened between the two that Miroku had interrupted? Her brows lowered as a spark of anger lit off inside her. For Inuyasha’s sake, he’d better not have taken advantage of Kagome or he’d be dealing with _her._

 

Finally, after what seemed like a small eternity, Kagome released an unsteady sigh and dropped her hands into her lap, her face still red but feeling like she was more under control of her emotions. She was grateful Sango hadn’t questioned her like she knew she wanted to, because she didn’t think she’d be able to give a straight answer. Kagome was so confused when it came to Inuyasha and her feelings for him. It was undeniable now that she was quickly developing something for him, but she just didn’t know what. She was attracted to him, sure, but then again what sane girl wasn’t? He was gorgeous, with thick silver hair, stunning golden eyes and with that devastating smile it was nearly impossible not to melt into a puddle of hormonal goo. She liked him well enough; he was unbelievably nice to her, charming, funny, protective, if at times a bit pushy and temperamental, but Kagome found herself overlooking those two traits in favor of concentrating on his more admirable mannerisms. And while, yes, he could be a bit childish sometimes when he didn’t get his way, and he was the most stubborn boy Kagome had ever met, she slowly came to realize that all of those things about him, his protective streak, his temper, the pigheadedness and his smart mouth were all a part of him, they were what made him who he was, and though he was by far from perfect, just like herself…Kagome never wanted him to change.

 

“—like him?”

 

It was then that Kagome realized that Sango was talking to her and she shook her head to clear her thoughts, embarrassed to be caught zoning out and thinking about him. “Um, what?”

 

Sango was frowning in concern at her and she hesitated slightly before repeating herself. “Kagome…do you…like Yash?”

 

Kagome’s blush came back with a vengeance and she tried to play it off. “Of-of course I do, Sango. I mean Inuyasha’s a great, guy what’s not to like, right?” She laughed nervously.

 

“That’s not what I meant, Kagome, and you know it.”

 

Instantly Kagome dropped the façade and she sighed, sucking in her lips and dropping her gaze as she deliberated. “I…um, I don’t know,” she finally answered honestly as a small frown furrowed her brows.

 

Sango cocked a brow. Perhaps a different approach would work. “Well, are you attracted to him?”

 

A small noise of alarm sounded in the back of Kagome’s throat and her cheeks pinked. “I—I—well—”

 

“I’ve seen the way you look at his ass in that one pair of pants he owns, Kagome, and even _I_ have to say it’s a mighty fine view,” Sango pointed out and Kagome’s face turned several different shades of crimson however the look in her eyes as she flashed her a glance plainly told of her guilt of that accusation.

 

Smiling at the girl’s obvious and almost painful embarrassment, the maple-eyed teenager decided to take pity on the poor girl and try to make her feel better about the whole thing. Placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder, Sango caught her gaze. “It’s okay to be attracted to someone, Kagome. You’re a healthy teenage girl with obviously working hormones and I’d be surprised if you _weren’t_ attracted to him. Hell, pretty much _every_ female student at our school is.” She paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m also positive that a few teachers want in his pants too.” She shuddered as a rather disturbing mental image popped into her brain and she savagely shoved it away and shook her head. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to be so ashamed or embarrassed, Kagome. It’s a completely normal thing.” Sango smiled again and was relieved to see that the raven-haired girl seemed to be finally coming out of her shell, raising her head and giving a shy smile.

 

“I-I know that,” Kagome finally said softly and uncurled herself out of her little hunch. She leaned back against the couch and bit her lip, looking sheepish again as she wrung her hands together in her lap. “It’s just, I’ve never felt…this is the first time I…” Kagome trailed off, her gaze darting away again.

 

Sango blinked as realization dawned on her. “Kagome…are you a virgin?”

 

Said girl flinched and dropped her gaze to her lap.

 

Sango’s expression softened and leaned down to catch her friend’s gaze. “It’s okay, Kagome.” Then surprisingly a soft blush stained her cheeks and she cleared her throat. “So…so am I.”

 

At that, Kagome lifted her head and stared at her friend incredulously, blinking her wide brown eyes. “Really?” she asked, suddenly comfortable with the current topic of conversation. “But, you and Miroku…”

 

The flush on Sango’s cheeks darkened slightly and she was suddenly the one looking a little nervous as she stared down at her lap. “Yes, well…I will admit that we’ve made out a bit, fooled around some too, but we’ve never…I mean I don’t think I’m ready for that. You know? And Miroku knows that so he’s never pressured me.” Sango’s maple orbs slid over to catch Kagome’s mocha one, her face serious. “You do know that Inuyasha won’t ever pressure you either, right Kagome?”

 

Kagome’s eyes widened as her blush deepened. “I-I don’t think—”

 

“De Nile is a river in Egypt, Kagome,” Sango deadpanned, lifting a single brow and Kagome groaned.

 

“I know he won’t,” she whispered, worrying her bottom lip. “He’s said as much, too.” Kagome lifted her gaze to her friend’s face and Sango wasn’t expecting the frightened look on the ebony-haired beauty’s face. Her eyes shone suspiciously bright as she admitted in a quiet whisper, “I’m…I’m scared, Sango. Not of Inuyasha, but…” She bit down harder on her lip, unable to finish the sentence.

 

“Kagome,” Sango breathed and scooted closer to gather the girl in her arms, stroking her back and offering any comfort that she could. She knew what Kagome couldn’t say, that she was frightened of the intense emotions she was feeling for their half-demon friend, and having never felt that way before about a boy, it wasn’t that much of a surprise for her to be afraid of the unfamiliar feelings.

 

“Don’t worry, Kagome,” Sango soothed, her heart breaking for her friend and at the same time feeling closer to her than ever before. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. And if you have any questions about anything at all, you can come to me, alright? I can’t guarantee I’ll know the answer to everything, but I’ll do my best to help you understand.”

 

Sniffling, Kagome pulled back and gave Sango a watery smile, grateful that her friend was so understanding and reassuring. “Thanks, Sango. I know I can count on you.”

 

Sango smiled, suddenly feeling like she could start tearing up herself. “Anytime, Kagome.” Then her expression turned serious and Kagome blinked at the sudden change. “Just, promise me one thing, Kagome.” After receiving a nod, she continued. “I want you to be careful, okay? Inuyasha’s a great guy, and I trust him, but…he’s been through a lot and sometimes he can become a bit unstable and hard to handle. I don’t want to see you, or him, get hurt, okay?”

 

Puzzled, but nonetheless grateful for the warning, Kagome nodded. “I promise.”

 

Relieved, Sango finally smiled again and squeezed her shoulder. “Thanks.”

 

A comfortable silence fell between the two girls, one wondering where the boys had run off to while the other was secretly plotting some alone time with one of said boys.

 

“…Did you see the look on Miroku’s face?” Kagome suddenly asked, a grin working its way onto her lips.

 

Sango snorted and returned the grin, her eyes shining in amusement. “You mean the one where it looked like he’d just signed his death warrant?” She snickered.

 

“I think it was more of a look of a man who was just threatened with no nookie for a week.”

 

“A week? More like a month!”

 

Kagome and Sango dissolved into giggles at that, the two of them feeling closer to each other than ever before.


	19. Chapter 19

Miroku watched Inuyasha pace back and forth across Sango’s bedroom carpet from his seat on the bed, remaining silent and more than a little concerned about his best friend’s behavior. He’d never seen him this worked up over a girl before, not even with Kikyou, and if that didn’t tell him something, nothing did.

 

Much to the violet eyed teen’s surprise (and relief) upon entering his crush’s bedroom, the half-demon hadn’t reduced him to smithereens like he had feared, and instead he’d launched into an explanation of what he had interrupted a few minutes prior and had actually _thanked_ him for walking in when he did. Miroku had looked dumbfounded at that which in turn caused Inuyasha to tell his friend about his promise to give Kagome room to breathe instead of always being touchy-feely and after that he hadn’t been able to shut up, going on about the feelings he was quickly developing for the brown-eyed beauty, the struggle of keeping his hands to himself, the sudden possessive streak that viciously lashed out whenever another male was around his babydoll. Miroku recognized that Inuyasha was calling their friend that nickname without even realizing it and deigned not to comment, wishing that he had the balls to call Sango cute little nicknames without the fear of his skull getting bashed in.

 

Miroku could tell that his friend was seriously distressed over this and he honest to god didn’t know what the hell to do, so he refrained from making any smartass comments like he usually would to lighten the mood. His best friend needed some guidance, and Miroku would do his best to help.

 

Assuming the golden-eyed half-demon was finished talking for the moment, Miroku decided that it was his turn. “I…really had no idea you felt that way, man,” he said because he couldn’t think of anything better to say.

 

Inuyasha stopped pacing and came over to flop down beside him on the bed. “Keh. I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to tell somebody so who better than my best man?” He shrugged.

 

“Aw, I love you too, Yash.”

 

“Shut up, twat.”

 

“Slimy shit biscuit.”

 

“Communist douche waffle.”

 

“Pompous dick clown.”

 

“Smelly—ahh, whatever, fuck you.”

 

The two friends shared a laugh and Inuyasha had to admit, after that little exchange, he was feeling significantly better. Miroku always knew how to cheer up him, even if it was just calling each other names.

 

“In all seriousness, Yash,” Miroku said gravely and Inuyasha turned his amber gaze to him. “What do you plan to do about this? I’m not saying this to be mean, but if this continues without some sort of outlet or relief, I’m afraid that your control might suddenly snap and you will hurt Kagome in an act of desperation if what you say is true, because your…lust for her is rather strong.” It wasn’t a secret that a demon’s senses significantly surpasses that of a human, so it would make sense that in a demon’s case, the feelings of lust, for instance, would be that much more powerful. Their willpower was also stronger than a human’s, however confront them with something they truly desire, one of two things could happen; one, the demon would be able to control himself and ignore that which it craves, or two…the ties would snap and he would stop at nothing to obtain what he thought was rightfully his. Inuyasha was caught between the two, neither a human nor a demon, so he was in a constant struggle to stay in control and Miroku can only imagine how difficult it was for him.

 

Wincing, Inuyasha looked away and sighed, thrusting a clawed hand through his silver hair. “That’s what I’m afraid of, too,” he admitted. “I don’t wanna hurt Kagome. Ever. If I do, I’d never be able to forgive myself. And, shit, what if I can’t hold it in anymore and just attack her, Miro? I can’t—I wouldn’t be able to take it. God, she’d fucking hate me and I wouldn’t blame her. I’d hate me, too.” His fear was so palpable of all the possible “what if’s” that he started shaking slightly, fisting his hair in both hands now for some kind of semblance of control.

 

His heart going out for his friend, Miroku put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze. “I know, Yash. Which is why I have thought up of a…solution, if you will.” He made a face and cautioned, “But you’re not going to like it.”

 

Inuyasha dropped his hands from his hair and turned bright amber eyes his way, a small glimmer of hope shining in them but his warning caused a small frown to mar his features. “What is it?”

 

Miroku grimaced. “Well, remember when I mentioned not having an outlet or some kind of relief to sate your…urgings?”

 

The frown deepened. “Yeah, and?”

 

“Well…” His friend hesitated briefly, and then forged on, figuring it’d be best to just put it bluntly. “There is no shortage of beautiful young woman in our school who are willing to…uh…” He gave a side-long glance to the half-demon, willing him to figure out the rest for himself and thankfully it didn’t take him that long.

 

Inuyasha’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly. “Wha…you’re saying I should—”

 

“Yes.” Miroku looked straight at him in all seriousness.

 

“But—but—are you fucking crazy?!” He shot up and started pacing again.

 

Miroku shrugged. “I told you you wouldn’t like it.”

 

“No _shit_ I don’t like it! I’m not gonna fucking cheat on Kagome with some random bitch!”

 

His friend suddenly smirked and held up a finger. “Ah. But you’re not dating her.”

 

That caused the half-demon to stop short as he gaped at the raven-haired male, his mouth working up and down but no sound was coming forth.

 

Refraining from chuckling in amusement at his friend’s reaction, Miroku merely raised his eyebrows as he regarded the hanyou. “But…you want to be. Am I right?”

 

A flush darkened Inuyasha’s cheeks cherry red and he looked away, scoffing under his breath as he glared at nothing in particular. “K-keh.”

 

Nodding sagely, Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he gaze at the blushing half-demon. “Well, Yash, it looks to me like you have three options, the first being getting well acquainted with your right hand, the second risking losing control someday and harming Kagome, or the third, take my suggestion and satiate your hanyou dick in some, as you say, random bitch’s willing vagina.”

 

Inuyasha winced. “Do you have to be so lewd?”

 

Straight-faced, Miroku held up his pointer, middle and ring finger. “Read between the lines, motherfucker.”

 

“Asshat,” Inuyasha muttered then heaved a sigh and once more sat down on the bed. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?” he grumbled, not at all looking pleased with the outcome.

 

Miroku patted his back sympathetically. “Small sacrifices, my friend.” He paused. “Well, in this case not so small, but you catch my drift.” Wanting to get his best friend’s mind off the subject, at least for a while, Miroku said, “Did you know that I haven’t grabbed Sango’s ass in over a week?”

 

Inuyasha stared at him. “Get out.”

 

“No, really, I haven’t!” He suddenly looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head with a stupid grin on his face. “I thought that perhaps she would notice and, you know…she’d let things go a little farther next time we fool around. I think it’s working. I got as far as undoing her jeans before she stopped me.” A dreamy look adopted on his face and Inuyasha snorted even as a smile worked its way onto his face.

 

“You’re an idiot,” he said fondly.

 

“Yeah, but you love me.”

 

“Fuck you, you homosexual shart fossil.”

  
  
“Did you just call me old?!”

 

“Yeah, old and smelly!”

 

“You little shithead, get back here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BROMANCE.


	20. Chapter 20

Kagome and Sango were in the middle of a discussion about the school dance that was scheduled for next Saturday when suddenly Inuyasha came careening into the room, laughing his ass off with a cursing Miroku hot on his heels. The half-demon ran for the couch and dove behind Kagome for shelter, causing the girl to shriek in surprise and confusion when he grabbed her shoulders and attempted to hide his much bigger body behind the slim figure of the mocha-orbed young woman.  Frantically the half-demon grabbed a nearby bag of chips and started hurling the salty snack at the human male and that was when Miroku dragged Sango over to him and used her body as a shield, tossing pillows and chips back at him.

Pretty soon an all-out food fight had been established with chips, pretzels, Cheetos, and every other snack food Sango had brought up from the kitchen being used as ammo, Inuyasha and Kagome working together to demolish the enemy while Sango and Miroku banded with each other to eliminate their opponent. Great gales of laughter echoed throughout the room, causing the two figures downstairs to stare up at the ceiling in amused puzzlement, and it didn’t take long at all until the entire room was covered with crushed and broken snack food, in their hair, on their clothes and Kagome was pretty sure something had been shoved down her pants and if Sango wasn’t mistaken she could feel something poking her in the boob.

Breathless, but still giggling occasionally, the four friends laid on the floor after their battle in which it had been decided they all were the victor.  Afterward, Kagome helped pick up the trashed room while Sango pulled out the vacuum and the boys picked up the trash to stow away in a plastic garbage bag. After the room was dubbed clean, the girls headed off to Sango’s room to change into some comfortable pajamas while Inuyasha decided to finally pick a B horror movie and Miroku helped himself to the slightly cold pizza.

Now they all sat in the darkened room while the movie the half-demon chose, Grabbers* - the plot being people had to get shitfaced in order to survive an invasion of monsters – played on, with Sango and Miroku splayed out on one couch, Kagome was curled up in a recliner and Inuyasha had claimed the other couch.

Donned in comfortable sweatpants, a cotton tee shirt and barefoot, Kagome only half-listened to the movie that played on the flat screen, her mind wandering to the night’s previous events. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun and having a food fight of all things! It was so childish, participating in a food fight, albeit a small one, but at the same time, exhilarating and she’d felt so carefree, so…happy.

A smile flirted with her lips at the thought when suddenly her phone buzzed in her pocket, signaling a new message and Kagome snapped back to reality. Fishing it out of her sweat’s pocket, she unlocked the screen and frowned down at the message from a number she didn’t recognize.

_Hey._

Deciding to ignore it, figuring it was a wrong number text, Kagome shrugged and put the phone in her lap, going back to watching the strange movie Inuyasha had chosen. A moment later, however, her phone buzzed again and this time it was a number she was familiar with.

_Come over here._

Chocolate eyes flicked up at the sender but he didn’t look her way, his amber eyes trained on the TV. Kagome deliberated for a moment, then slowly uncurled herself from the chair and ambled her way over to the couch, a soft flush tinting her cheeks a light pink, barely noticeable in the dark room. Gingerly she sat down a few feet away from him, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them.  She kept her gaze on the television, not brave enough to steal a glance at the sofa’s other occupant.

The only sounds in the room were exaggerated screams and various monster noises coming from the movie when suddenly from her position on the other couch, Sango stood up and walked out of the room, presumably for a bathroom break so nobody questioned her. However, a few minutes later Miroku’s phone lit up with a new text and his eyes grew comically wide as he read it.  Then he shot up from his seat and rapidly scrambled for the door, nearly falling over himself in his haste to exit the room to go god knows where but Inuyasha had a pretty good idea where he was going. Kagome just looked confused and he resisted the urge to chuckle at her innocence.

Now it was just the two of them and the hanyou could sense no nervousness or fear coming from the girl beside him, thank god, which prompted him to be a little bold and send a text he hoped he wouldn’t regret.

Kagome had been anticipating the next message so when her phone buzzed in her hand she immediately looked down to read it.

_Can I hold you?_

Kagome’s cheeks darkened and her heart leapt into her throat as her eyes rounded slightly. She bit down on her lip, finding that she actually did want to snuggle up against him and that little factoid scared her a little. Maybe it was because they were alone without Sango and Miroku to watch, or perhaps it was because he actually _asked_ instead of just grabbing her, but Kagome sucked in a breath and without looking at his face, she crawled across the scant distance between them. Inuyasha didn’t say a word, merely shifted around until his back was to the arm rest and his legs were stretched out lengthwise.  Kagome took the initiative to situation herself between his legs and lean her back against his chest. His arms wrapped loosely around her waist and she felt his chest heave against her back as he released a content sigh.  She ducked her head to hide her smile as he leaned down to deliver a kiss to the top of her head, and then silently went back to watching the movie.

Warm, content, and sleepy, Kagome was just about to doze off when once more her mobile vibrated in her hand and she jumped slightly, having forgotten she was still holding it.  Yawning, she blinked and brought it up to unlock the screen and read the message. It was the number from before and the contents sent a shiver of trepidation down her spine.

_Don’t you dare ignore my messages or I’ll punish you._

She stared at the screen wide-eyed when suddenly a clawed hand snatched the device from her hand and she gasped slightly in surprise.

“Inu…?” she asked, turning her head to stare up at him.

He didn’t answer her as he read the message and a dark scowl formed on his features. Without a word he touched the dial button and held it to the side of his face. Kagome watched, curious, and the second the other line picked up, Inuyasha growled into it, “Threaten her again and I’ll find your ass and slaughter it. Fuck off.” With that he promptly ended the call, powered down her phone then dropped it gently to the floor.  

“If they bother you again, lemme know. I’ll take care of it.” He kissed her temple and emitted a soothing rumble from his chest and Kagome melted against him, fully believing that he would protect her.

“Okay,” she said softly and snuggled against him, her head on his chest and his growling purr, coupled with his warmth had her quickly dozing off once more.

Inuyasha smiled down at her, feeling warm and fuzzy and all that wonderful sappy shit. But knowing that some asshole was sending her threatening messages like that wiped it right off of his face and he scowled again, turning his head to glare at the TV. Nobody threatened his babydoll and got away with it and he would track this motherfucker down and eliminate him if he had to.

He tightened his hold on the girl in his arms and nuzzled her hair. Kagome murmured something and shifted slightly but didn’t wake _. I should probably tell San and Mir,_ he thought because the more protection she had, the better. They were just as attached to Kagome as he was so he knew they would take it seriously and keep a look out for anything remotely dangerous to their friend. Vaguely the idea that the culprit could be Naraku crossed his mind because he was known for hacking his way into computer systems; getting a phone number would be a cake walk. No matter, though; it just meant he’d keep a closer eye on the fucker and make sure Kagome avoided him at all costs. He would tell her as much when she woke up or perhaps tomorrow. Or hell, even Monday. He didn’t want to ruin this awesome weekend with such things.

While Inuyasha was silently contemplating different, rather gruesome ways, to eliminate Naraku the white trash cock jockey, Miroku and Sango chose that moment to reenter the room, Sango looking a mite guilty with a blush on her face and his best friend looking decidedly smug as he fucking _swaggered_ into the room like he was the shit. The half-demon narrowed his eyes and Miroku only grinned as he retook his seat on the couch next to Sango, who was still blushing but had a small smile on her face now. Inuyasha took a delicate sniff in their direction, snorted, then rolled his eyes but smirked at his best friend.

Miroku’s grin widened.

Inuyasha snickered, shook his head, and then got serious. “Oi,” he whispered, conscious of the sleeping girl cuddled against him.  When both their heads turned his way, he continued. “I gotta tell you something, but Kagome’s sleeping so keep your voices down.”

His friends nodded, wondering at the serious tone in his voice and curious of what he had to say.

Absently tracing patterns with a claw on the back of his babydoll’s hand, Inuyasha gestured to her phone on the floor. “Kagome got a threatening message from an unknown number earlier and I could tell it freaked her out a bit. I called it and gave a threat of my own to leave her alone but I have a feeling that it won’t be the last time we hear from him.” Inuyasha frowned and gently touched Kagome’s cheek with his fingertips, mindful of his claws.

Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. “Naraku,” they said softly in unison and he nodded.

“That’s what I thought, too. If he can hack into computer systems…”

“Finding a number will be a piece of cake,” Miroku finished and cursed softly.

“What did it say?” Sango asked and eyed Kagome’s phone.

Inuyasha growled. “I’m guessing she must have gotten one before but ignored it because it said, ‘Don’t you dare ignore my messages or I’ll punish you.’”

Miroku frowned and Sango cast a worried look to her friend.

“Anyway, I’m asking you guys to help me keep a look out or anything and keep a close eye on Morikawa. Dunno if it _is_ him, but there’s a good chance that it is.”

“Of course, Yash.  Kagome’s important to us too, so we’ll do anything we can to protect her,” Sango said with conviction and Miroku nodded.

Inuyasha smiled. “Thanks, guys. I knew I could count on you.” He glanced down at the girl in his arms again and sighed, closing his eyes and burying his nose in her silky hair.

_I’ll protect you, babydoll.  I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back when I first wrote this chapter forever ago, Grabbers was an actually b-horror movie on Netflix about people getting wasted so the monsters don’t eat them because their alcoholic blood is toxic to them. Never watched it, but maybe I’ll look it up sometime just for shits and giggles haha.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read: Due to some negative feedback I received on a previous work of mine regarding the delicate issue of cheating, I feel the need to forewarn that there is sex in the beginning of this chapter with Inuyasha as a participant, however the other is NOT Kagome. I also feel the need to remind you all that Inuyasha and Kagome are NOT together at this point in the story yet, so any form or shape of cheating does not come into play. So please leave comments about adultery and affairs to yourself; they needn’t make an appearance here. Thank you.
> 
> If you wish to skip the sex, I’ve stated where it begins and ends for your convenience.

**(Start)**

Breathing heavily, sweat glistening on his skin and muscles straining, Inuyasha grunted as he pounded her into the wall, thrusting harder, faster as manicured nails latched on and dug into his shoulders while a slim leg hitched up for maximum penetration and pleasure.  A clawed hand anchored her thigh to his hip, the tips of his talons biting into the skin and a moan of bliss escaped ruby lips, emerald eyes glazed over in absolute bliss and flaming red hair a wild mane as she was fucked within an inch of her life.

“Like that, bitch?” Inuyasha asked, panting as he delivered another hard, grinding thrust into the wolf demon, his balls tightening as his climax drew near. He grit his teeth and slapped his unoccupied hand onto the concrete wall beside her head, digging his claws into the cement and releasing a low groan.

“S-so good, Yash,” she gasped, rotating her hips and riding the cock that was so deliciously buried inside of her, pounding her into oblivion and sending spirals of pleasure coursing throughout her body. “More!” Arching her back, the red-headed wolf demon returned his thrusts with some of her own, licking her lips and with a wicked smile, she tightened her inner muscles, moaning at the completely sinful friction the action resulted in. God, she was so close! Just a little more…

“Fuck!” Inuyasha cursed and pistoned his hips faster, harder, his jaw clenched and amber eyes screwed shut. “Jesus, you’re—shit!” Coherent though fled as euphoria exploded throughout him he gave a savage cry, slamming into her several more times and grinding his hips against hers.

“O-oh!” Tossing her head back, the green-eyed wolf demon came with a keening wail as her entire body trembled with the force of her orgasm, her chest heaving for breath, riding it out. Inuyasha prolonged it with several lazy thrusts, the urgency gone, both of them having reached completion.

**(Finish)**

With a groan, the hanyou dropped his head to briefly rest his forehead on her shoulder, regaining his breathing before gently disengaging from her and letting her slide down his body until her feet touched the ground. He stepped back and refastened his jeans while she righted her cheerleader’s uniform and panties before making an attempt to put her flaming hair into some semblance of order. She didn’t want to go to practice with sex hair. Too many questions and the nosy bitches on her squad would probably tell Kouga.

“Damn, Ayame,” Inuyasha smirked.  “No wonder you’re the captain. You’re so fucking flexible.” He swatted her ass and she giggled.

“Next time let’s make it horizontal and I’ll show you just how _flexible_ I can be.” Ayame winked and blowing him a kiss, she sashayed away, withdrawing her phone from her cleavage and answering the incoming call. “Hey, baby. Where am I? Oh, just outside having a smoke with the girls…”

Inuyasha snorted as he watched her walk away, shaking his head in disgust. After damn near fucking his brains out, she answers a call from her boyfriend cool as a cucumber. Two-timing bitch. He had to give it to her, though; she did a damn fine job of playing the innocent and Kouga, the dense bastard, was none the wiser.  Though, Inuyasha surmised, that was probably just because he was a colossal idiot, all brawn and no brain. The brain he did use was in his pants and it more often than not got him into trouble with the fiery haired wolf demon.  

The instant she turned the corner and he could no longer see her, Inuyasha dropped the smirk and with a whine slid to the ground, leaning back against the back wall of the school and closing his eyes as a wave of guilt crashed headlong into him, making his chest constrict painfully and his ears to flatten against his head.  His eyes fluttered back open and something dark flashed in his peripheral vision. Quickly he snapped his head to the side to discern what it was, but he was too late. Whatever it was disappeared, probably a bird or something. Or more likely his snoopy little freshman fan club that liked to follow him around and giggle obnoxiously. He rolled his eyes, not particularly caring if they got a show. He had more important matters to deal with than infatuated little girls.

God, he felt lower than dirt right now. He hadn’t wanted to seek the captain of the cheerleading squad out, but unfortunately he knew he didn’t have any other options.  What Miroku had said was right; without something to vent his frustrations on, Kagome was at risk of getting harmed by him and that was the absolute _last_ thing he wanted to do. It was one of those necessary evil things, one he couldn’t avoid. But, shit, he didn’t think he’d be able to deal with this crushing guilt every single time he needed to…indulge his frustrations. And it was only the first time, goddamnit!

Inuyasha groaned and fought against the urge to smack his head against the hard concrete a few dozen times. He didn’t understand why he was feeling this way, why he felt so goddamn guilty for having sex with Ayame. As Miroku had so blatantly stated over the weekend, he wasn’t dating Kagome so it wasn’t like he cheated on her or anything! So why the hell couldn’t he shake this damn feeling of betrayal? Why did he feel like shit, like a two-timing fuckwad who couldn’t keep it in his pants just because he couldn’t have the girl he wanted?!

“Because I want us to be,” he whispered, closing his eyes and swallowing the sudden lump in his throat.  He wanted Kagome to be his. He wanted to be Kagome’s. He wanted it all, the flirting, the sweet kisses, holding hands, stupid little inside jokes, secret smiles, going on dates, being stupid with each other, pictures together. Inuyasha had never wanted something so bad in his life and the fact that it was right in front of him, teasing him with small smiles, cute blushes, and wide, beautiful brown eyes was nearly driving him mad.  Now he understood why Miroku chased after Sango all those years. The challenge just made him want her even more, the age old saying of wanting what you can’t have never ringing more true.

  
However, in this particular case, Inuyasha swore that once he had it, had _her_ , he was never letting go.  

Still feeling like shit, Inuyasha vowed that he wouldn’t touch another girl again, no matter how bad or frustrated he got. Worst case, he’d just have to get reacquainted with his right hand. He snorted and rolled his eyes at himself. God, he was such a loser.

Grumbling, he pulled out his cell and sent out a text, needing to forget about what he’d just done.

**-X-**

Kagome slumped against the side of the school, knees weak, pressing a shaky hand to her mouth and her dark eyes wide with disbelief. Her heart pounded in her chest so loudly she wondered if he would be able to hear it from where he sat just around the corner, the opposite one in which that girl red-haired girl had left.

She couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed, a deep flush surfacing to paint her face scarlet. Inuyasha had been…he was…having _intercourse_ with someone, in public, on school grounds! Anyone could have walked in on them and unfortunately, that “anyone” had been Kagome. If she had known he was going to do that, the young woman wouldn’t have followed him in the first place. She had finally built up the courage to ask him why he was never in math class since he was obviously at school and when she’d spotted him rounding the corner of the building after school was dismissed, Kagome had chased after him. Thinking back on it, she should have called out his name to stop the half-demon in his tracks, otherwise she wouldn’t have witnessed his betrayal.

Kagome froze and her eyes widened. _Wait a minute. Betrayal? Inuyasha didn’t betray me,_ she thought, shocked at her own thoughts _. I mean, we’re not even dating so it’s not like he cheated on me or anything. I’m not his girlfriend, if he wants another girl he can…_ Strangely Kagome’s chest hurt and she put a hand over her heart, taking in a stuttering breath. _What…why does it hurt? Inuyasha…_ Suddenly she tasted salt and that was when she realized silent tears were tracking down her cheeks. _I’m crying?  I…I don’t understand…_ A stifled sob escaped her throat and she pressed her hand to her mouth again, chocolate eyes round and staring at nothing. _I don’t…have feelings for Inuyasha…do I?_

It felt like her stomach had dropped to somewhere as the same region as her feet and her heart thudded painfully in her chest _. It’s…it’s impossible,_ she silently continued.   _I’ve only known him a week, there’s no way that I can…that I…but if it hurts this much, maybe…_ Kagome closed her eyes as her body trembled, her knees barely able to keep her standing as memories started flooding her mind, the first day she met him and that heart-stopping smile of his, Inuyasha demanding her cell phone number, stealing her chips, grinning own at her. Inuyasha after school, announcing he would be picking her up and taking her home.  Inuyasha in her home, holding her, kissing her jaw, seducing her.  Inuyasha showing up in the middle of the night, demanding she come down, going to the park and spending the night in his arms.  The half-demon in PE, fighting with Naraku for her sake and waking up in his arms in the nurse’s office.  Having fun with Inuyasha over the weekend, joking around, having a food fight, Inuyasha being protective and threatening the mystery texter, reassuring her, holding her, keeping her warm.  

The truth was right there, slowly dawning on her and it made her breath catch in her throat.

_I like him,_ she admitted to herself. _I like Inuyasha, and possibly…more than just a friend…oh, God, what am I going to do?_ She dropped her face in her hands, shaking her head back and forth.   _It’s obvious he doesn’t feel the same, having just…done_ that _with another girl. Did he—did he get tired of me? De he…just want_ that _from me?_ Instantly the times where Inuyasha had been a little more than friendly toward her surfaced to her mind and she gasped, lifting her head as her mouth dropped slightly in astonishment. Inuyasha had always been openly affectionate with her ever since she met him and she really hadn’t thought anything of it, deciding that it was just how he was, but could they have had a deeper, more amorous meaning, the casual touches, little smirks, the tender kisses to her cheek or forehead? Had he been hinting that he wanted more, but she had just been too…blind to see them, too innocent, too… _prude?_

Kagome gasped, Naraku’s words from that PE class last week resonating in her head not for the first time. More tears glistened in her dark eyes, threatening to fall. _It can’t be. He—he wouldn’t do that. Sango said he would never pressure me—_

And that was just it, wasn’t it. Realization dawned on Kagome and it felt like her heart stopped. Sango was right; Inuyasha wouldn’t and didn’t pressure her. No, instead of waiting, he grew impatient and sated his carnal urges in a, from what it sounded like, more than willing female.

It all made sense now, his _behavior_ made sense. Inuyasha was just waiting for her to finally open up to him – or more accurately, her legs – and apparently got fed up with waiting and wandered off to the next available set of legs.  Or maybe not so available, as Kagome had seen that redhead before walking around with Kouga Matsuno’s arm around her shoulders.

_Oh, God. I should have listened to Houjo. God, why didn’t I listen?!_ Kagome mentally beat herself up for not heeding the boy’s warning, trying desperately to contain her sobs so as to not alert the object of her distress just around the corner. She didn’t know what she’d do if he found her like this, crying, shaking and probably pale as a ghost. Biting down hard on her lip, Kagome decided to beat feet before he did see her and pushed away from the wall, taking a moment to steady herself on weak knees before heading back toward the front of the school, intent on just walking home. There was no way she’d be able to sit in the same vehicle as him now.  She passed a group of students smoking and she wrinkled her nose at the offensive smell.

_I’m so stupid,_ she thought and felt her phone buzz in her skirt pocket.  She had almost donned a pair of jeans that morning, since she knew Inuyasha liked her in them so much, but hadn’t wanted to deal with questions from her father, so skirt it had been.  She retrieved it and without thinking unlocked the screen to read the message.

_Hey, babydoll. Haven’t seen you all day. Miss you._

Kagome’s heart clenched and she couldn’t stifle the sob that ripped past her throat as she hurriedly deleted the message and tucked it back in her pocket.

“Kagome? Are you alright?”

Startled, Kagome gasped and halted, dark eyes zeroing on Houjo as he jogged over to her, a concerned look etched onto his boyish features. When he saw she had been crying his light brown eyes widened and he put a hand on her shoulder, a worried frown furrowing his brows. “Kagome, what’s wrong? Tell me why you’re crying.” The genuine concern in his voice had more tears spilling from her eyes and Kagome made a split second decision.

“Houjo…take me home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make room for the drama llama.


	22. Chapter 22

Still feeling sort of dirty and wanting to go home and shower to get the stench of horny wolf off of him, Inuyasha hauled himself up to his feet and checked his phone again; he frowned. Kagome still hadn’t messaged him back yet, which really wasn’t all that strange, he kept telling himself. She might not have heard her phone, had it on silent or it could have even died on her. Or something.  Whatever, he wasn’t all that worried and he’d be seeing her in a few minutes away so it didn’t matter.

Tucking the cell away in his back pocket, Inuyasha shrugged and rounded the corner to head to the parking lot, sneering at the group of teenagers slouched against the wall and passing a joint amongst them. Disgusting.  They may think the heavy smell of cigarette smoke could disguise it but anyone with a nose could detect the odorous fumes of pot underlining it, making it impossible to scent anything else in the vicinity. It turned his stomach and he quickened his steps, not understanding how humans could stand that rancid smell. He was a goddamn half-demon and even _he_ couldn’t bear it.

Once clear of the stomach-churning odor, Inuyasha took a deep breath of fresh air and looked around with golden eyes for a familiar head of raven hair waiting for him.  When he only found Miroku and Sango, waiting by his truck as per usual, another frown furrowed his brow, puzzlement etched onto his features. Maybe he was still inside? Sucking in a cheek in deliberation, he pulled out his phone again and decided to give her a call. He waited a little impatiently, trying not to worry too much when he was directed to voicemail. “Shit,” he muttered and started jogging toward his friends. Maybe one of them knew where she was or saw her heading somewhere.

“Either one of you seen Kagome?” he asked upon reaching them.

Sango and Miroku exchanged looks and shook their heads. “I haven’t seen her since lunch,” Sango remarked and Miroku nodded.

Inuyasha’s frown deepened and something in his gut churched. This time, though, it wasn’t from a foul smell.

**-X-**

Kagome gazed down at the phone insistently buzzing in her lap, Inuyasha’s name printed on the screen staring back at her. She bit her lip and thumbed the button to ignore. That was the second time he’d called and Kagome didn’t have it in her to answer them.  She couldn’t talk to him right now, not after what she’d witnessed.

“Kagome?”

Said girl blinked and lifted her head to focus on the boy in the driver’s seat, realizing that they were stopped at a red light.  Houjo was staring at her with a concerned frown and it deepened when his gaze flicked down to her mobile.  Something indecipherable flashed in his brown eyes but it was gone before she could ponder more on it.  “Did he do something to you?” he asked, a hint of anger lacing his tone. “If he has, Kagome, I’ll—”

“N-no,” she cut him off, shaking her head and idly wondering about the change from calling her Higurashi to her first name. “No, it’s okay, Houjo.  Inu—…he didn’t do anything.” She paused. “Well, to me, anyway,” she muttered softly but he heard it anyway.

Houjo’s hands tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw clenched but before he could say anything the light turned green and he put his focus back on the road.  The rest of the drive to Kagome’s apartment building was spent in slightly uncomfortable silence and said girl was ready to just to stick in a frozen pizza for dinner and isolate herself in her bedroom.

When he pulled up in front of her building, Kagome exited without a word, not really surprised when she heard Houjo get out as well and follow after her. She sighed and stopped in front of the stone steps, turning around to face the kind young man who took her home without asking any questions. But he deserved to at least some kind of explanation.  

“I’m sorry, Houjo,” she said.  
  
The sandy-haired boy shook his head in confusion. “You don’t have to—”

“I should have listened you to,” Kagome continued, interrupting him and Houjo’s jaw clicked shut. Kagome grimaced and flushed slightly. “I…you were right about him. He was…before I ran into you, I saw him—”

A very familiar red truck pulled up behind Houjo’s sedan and the color drained from Kagome’s face when not a second later the car door was slamming shut and a very angry half-demon was stalking toward them.  Houjo, seeing the dismayed look on her face, looked over his shoulder and instantly his visage turned from concerned to stony. He turned around and stood before Kagome as if to protect her as the hanyou stormed toward them, a dark scowl on his face.

“What the fuck, Kagome?” he snapped when he was in hearing distance, flicking her a glance over the human boy’s shoulder before sending a hateful glower toward him.  “I thought I told you I’d take you home from now on,” Inuyasha growled to her but didn’t take his eyes off of the weakling blocking him from his babydoll.

His ire only climbed when he saw her shrink behind the pathetic boy and look away from him but what really pissed him off was the smug look on Hobo’s face as he crossed his arms and regarded him coolly. Clenching his hands into tight fists, Inuyasha released a low, threatening growl.

“Move.”

The word was low and the warning behind it was unmistakable, promising dire consequences in the piece of shit didn’t move _right now_.

  
To his credit Houjo merely looked bored and arched a single eyebrow. “No.”

Inuyasha’s scowl darkened and his upper lip lifted to display sharp fangs in a black snarl, a steady, deadly growl leaking through as his claws dug into his palms to prevent him from punching the human in the face. The only thing that was holding him back was the fact that he didn’t want to be violet in front of Kagome. She didn’t need to witness the full extent of his temper.

“ _Get. Out. Of. My. Way._ ”

Houjo’s gaze narrowed. “And risk you hurting her while you throw a little temper tantrum?” He snorted – actually _snorted_ at him. “I don’t think so, Yamaguchi.”

At that Inuyasha reeled back like he’d been slapped and his eyes grew wide, mouth dropping in astonishment. Then a split second later his visage darkened again and a thunderous growl reverberated from his chest, amber eyes spitting fire at him as he bared his teeth in a truly fearsome snarl. “Don’t you fucking _dare_ think that I would _ever_ —”

“After what you did to Morikawa?” Houjo rolled his eyes.  “I’m not really inclined to believe that.”

“Then _believe_ that I will slice off your tiny _dick_ and shove it up your puny _ass_ if you don’t move right. Fucking. Now.”

Houjo’s stare was flinty. “I think you should leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes, you—”

“Stop it.”

Human and hanyou froze and zeroed in on the petite ebony haired girl who had been silent up until now. Her face was white, her coffee colored eyes wide and she was clutching the strap to her messenger bag for dear life as her eyes darted back and forth between the two teenage boys. Instantly a wave of guilt crashed into Inuyasha and without thinking he reached out toward her.

“Babyd—”

She flinched back from him and he felt like someone delivered a swift kick to his gut.

“Houjo,” she addressed the human boy, her gaze skittering right over the half-demon to stare into a pair of kind brown eyes.  “I…” She took a deep breath. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With a small, trembling smile, Kagome turned around and started up the stone steps without another word, disappearing inside and closing the door softly behind her.

Both males stared at the door a moment longer and then simultaneously swung their heads around, amber and brown locking in an unblinking stare. While one set of eyes was cool and steady, the other was heated and flashing dangerously.

While Inuyasha was tempted to act out on his earlier impulsions to sock the fucker in his stupid mug, he knew that wouldn’t be a good idea, mainly for two reasons. The first that the asswipe would most likely – okay, definitely – file a report against him for unprovoked assault and the second one being that Kagome would know who was responsible for messing up his pretty face, thus developing even more complications in their rocky relationship.

So, barely restraining himself, Inuyasha sent one last warning glare to the pathetic human. “Stay away from her,” he said lowly before spinning around and stalking back to his truck, climbing in and nearly clipping Houjo’s car as he sped away.

Houjo heaved a sigh and thrust a hand through his sandy locks. “That went well,” he muttered blandly then followed the hanyou’s example and walked to his car to head home, hoping that the brown-eyed beauty that occupied his thoughts was alright.


	23. Chapter 23

Kagome sat on her bed with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, her chin resting in the little V shaped space her knees created. On the desk her cell phone continually beeped and vibrated as a mixture of calls and texts were delivered. It was obvious just who they were from but Kagome ignored them, staring straight ahead and just lost in her own thoughts. It was impossible to focus on just one, her mind a jumble of thoughts, emotions, and questions that she feared she would never get the answers to.  And that damned image of Inuyasha and that girl kept sneaking past her defenses and flashing before her mind’s eye and that just brought on a whole new onslaught of feelings and thoughts that she’d rather not dwell on.

Strangely, though, whenever the thought of the half-demon and what exactly he was doing behind the school came to her, she didn’t feel the need to cry. Instead she felt a sort of emptiness, a hollow feeling that left her bereft and incapable of shedding even a single tear. However strange it was, though, Kagome found that it was somewhat welcoming.  

A timid knock on her door drew her out of her thoughts and Kagome blinked, turning her head slightly to stare at it. “Kagome?” her little brother’s muffled voice, soft and worried, came through.  “Are you okay?”

“Souta,” Kagome mumbled quietly but didn’t answer him aloud. She felt slightly guilty for ignoring him like this. After walking in their home, she had promptly given directions to pop a pizza in the oven at four-thirty, said to tell Father she wasn’t feeling well if he asked about her and then headed straight to her room without another glance at him, disregarding his inquiry about what happened. She just didn’t have the energy to explain anything at the moment and wanted peace and quiet to sort out her muddled thoughts.

After a few moments of silence, Souta must have realized he wasn’t going to get an answer and she heard him sigh softly before his footsteps padded down the hallway toward the kitchen. She glanced at the clock; it was four-thirty already and she hadn’t even realized it was that late.

Telling herself she’d make it up to him by making his favorite breakfast of cinnamon French toast tomorrow morning and buy him some pocky at the store, Kagome finally removed herself from her bed and got dressed into her pajamas, a tank top and some shorts she’d made from an old pair of sweatpants. She wasn’t going anywhere for the rest of the day so there wasn’t any need to change into casual clothes. Later she’d venture out to steal a piece of pizza. Right now she wasn’t even at all that hungry, which was weird since she hadn’t eaten that much at lunch either.

Deciding to banish any and all thoughts concerning a certain half-demon from her mind – for now, anyway – Kagome twisted her hair into a messy bun atop her head and plopped down at her desk, eyeing her now still phone with distaste before sighing and picking it up. She really didn’t want to, but if she wanted that annoying notification flash to stop…

Seven missed calls and eleven messages.  Kagome crinkled her nose as she scrolled through her texts, most of them from Inuyasha with the contents consisting of various curse words and to answer her phone. One of them was from Sango asking if she was alright and a small smile quirked her lips upward briefly.  However amidst the numerous texts from the persistent half-demon a familiar number caught her eye and she stiffened, her thumb hovering above that particular message before pressing down.

 

_I saw you with the half-breed today._

Kagome frowned but otherwise didn’t know what to think of that. It was common knowledge by now that she was with Inuyasha all the time, so she didn’t really understand why he’d send her this. But then her phone suddenly buzzed in her hand as another text was sent to her inbox from the same number.

_I’m beginning to think you prefer hanyou cock over human._

Kagome gasped and dropped her phone like it was on fire, staring wide-eyed down as it clattered to her desk and dark flush stole across her cheeks. How—how crude!

The device hummed again, the sound strangely loud in her room and she slowly, warily, picked it up to read the next text.

_That will change though._

A shiver of trepidation crawled along the length of Kagome’s spine and the color from her cheeks faded.  She swallowed thickly and waited several tense seconds for the next one to come in because for some reason she knew he wasn’t finished yet. Nearly a whole minute passed before she received the last one.

_Soon enough that pretty mouth of yours will be sucking my—_

Kagome hurled her phone across the room, not even reading the rest of it and hauled ass out of her room. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her with more force than was absolutely necessary but couldn’t bring herself to care. She scrambled over to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face, taking a few deep breaths and closing her eyes. Okay, so maybe she overreacted a little over something as stupid as a lewd text but it was instinctual.  Kagome was not used to any sort of male attention, however Inuyasha was gradually breaking down that barrier from all of his devotion. Granted, he was being a lot more considerate of her space, but he still got in a few casual touches throughout the day, nothing that would make her blush or feel awkward.

Wait. No. She didn’t want to think of him right now. Or for the rest of the night, actually.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kagome’s eyes fluttered open and stared at her reflection for a moment, studying the girl that gazed back. Nothing extraordinary. Average bust. Plain black hair. Typical brown eyes. Normal. Boring, even. So why the hell with all the male attention she was getting? Kagome wrinkled her nose, stuck her tongue out at herself then exited the bathroom.  The smell of pizza filled the small apartment and her tummy growled loudly.  Her appetite had suddenly returned with a vengeance, probably from eating so little at lunch today, and Kagome’s mouth watered as her feet took her into the kitchen. It was just five o’clock and Souta must have just taken it out; there were two slices already missing and…

Kagome’s face softened.  A paper plate with a slice of pizza was sitting on the table and it was obvious who it was for. Smiling gently, she picked it up and headed back to her room, adding a new video game to her list of Things To Do to Make it Up to Souta.

Humming in appreciation at the first bite, Kagome used her foot to shut the door behind her, thinking she probably should have grabbed a napkin on her way—

“Enjoying your pizza?”

Kagome jumped about a foot in the air and almost choked on the bite of pizza in her mouth as a garbled shriek escaped her. Swallowing hastily, she spun around to stare wide-eyed at the invader in her room.

Inuyasha glared back, arms crossed over his chest as he casually leaned against the wall just next to the door. A position Kagome suspected he picked so she wouldn’t see him upon entering.  Sneaky little…

“What are you doing in here?” she hissed, setting her dinner on the desk. “Get out. Now.” After getting over her initial shock, Kagome glared right back and jabbed a finger to her window, which was obviously how he’d gotten in.  She’d have to start locking it from now on.

“Why the fuck didn’t you answer any of my calls?” he fired right back, completely ignoring her demand to leave as he pushed from the wall and stalked toward her.

Kagome stood her ground, hands on her hips in a typical female stance.  “Didn’t hear it,” she lied with a straight face, her glare gone to be replaced by a schooled expression.  That empty sensation from before was back, the hollowness strangely making her feel calm and collected.  “Now leave. I’m busy.”

Inuyasha ignored her and stopped in front of her, his eyes narrowed, a low growl trickling past his lips. He didn’t like the coolness she was suddenly portraying, her normal expressive coffee colored orbs sort of…dull and devoid of emotion. It sent a chill down his spine. The hell?

“Why did you let that fucker take you home? You were supposed to wait for me, dammit,” Inuyasha snapped.

“Because he wasn’t—” Kagome started to say but abruptly cut herself off and snapped her mouth shut, her lips drawing into a tight line and her gaze drifting to the side.

Inuyasha frowned and didn’t say anything for a moment, silently studying her.  Finally he said, slowly, “He wasn’t what, Kagome?”

Kagome clenched her teeth together and ignored him.

“Kagome,” he snapped and resisted the urge to thrust his hands into his hair and pull it all out. Jesus, this girl drove him crazy, the good _and_ the bad way! Some days he just wanted to kiss the shit out of her and others, like, oh, say, today for instance, he wanted to scream in her face and shake her until the cows come home.

Her gaze when she finally focused back on suddenly turned cold and stony him and Inuyasha was so unused to that look from Kagome of all people he blinked in surprise and leaned back a little.

Suddenly feeling vicious, suddenly wanting to let him know that she knew what he’d been doing behind the school just to see the look of shock on his face, Kagome arched a single delicate brow and regarded him so coolly he was amazed he didn’t get frostbite.

“Because,” she started. “He wasn’t busy at the time like you obviously were.”

Inuyasha’s hackles rose and his back stiffened. “What…do you mean.”

Both of her brows rose up and disappeared into thick ebony bangs.  “Don’t tell me you forgot already. Oh, but that’s okay.” Kagome shrugged carelessly and the slightly mocking smile on her lips didn’t suit her at all. “I’m sure the captain of the cheerleading squad can remind you.” _With her vagina._

Inuyasha turned white as a sheet and his mouth dropped open.  “Wha…how did you—”

Someone knocked on her door and Kagome leapt forward to slap a hand over Inuyasha’s mouth.  

“Kagome?” Said girl paled at the sound of her father’s voice. “Are you alright? Souta said you weren’t feeling well.  Are you sick? Should I call the doctor? I’ll make an appointment—”

“F-father!” Kagome cut him off.  “It’s okay, I’m okay! Just…I have a small headache and I’m lying down to see if that helps.” She stared at the door, willing it to remain closed, hoping he father would take her word for it and leave her be.

Kai was silent for a moment before he said gruffly, “Okay. If you’re sure.” A pause. “You can do the dishes tomorrow since you’re not feeling well. I hope your homework is finished?” The warning in his voice was impossible to miss.

“Thank you, Father. Ah, yes, I did it all in school today so I have none.”

A grunt. “Very well. I’ll be in my office. Goodnight, Kagome.”

“Goodnight, Father.”

He walked away and Kagome sagged with relief, dropping her hand from Inuyasha’s mouth and walking over to sit on her bed, heaving a sigh and wrapping her arms around herself. She suddenly felt exhausted, her previous anger having vanished and just wanted Inuyasha to leave so she could wallow in peace.  At least she hadn’t outright lied to her father; she could feel the beginnings of a headache in her temples and she closed her eyes. Great.  She was so thankful all her homework was finished.

Still standing where she left him, Inuyasha slowly started to relax after he was sure Kagome’s father wouldn’t be coming back to check on her. The only reason he hadn’t made a fuss about her hand on his mouth was because he had still been partially shocked to hear that Kagome apparently knew about his…extracurricular activities in which he partook after school today. And secondly he hadn’t wanted Mr. Higurashi to figure out his daughter had male company in her room.  

Ears flattened, the fight abruptly draining out of him, Inuyasha stared at the defeated girl sitting on the bed, head bowed and he wanted to take her into his arms and beg for forgiveness but he knew his touch was the last thing she wanted. God, she was never supposed to find out and now he felt like the lowest scum on the earth.  How could he? He really was a filthy half-breed, needing to sate his disgusting carnal urges on a willing female because the one he wanted he couldn’t have for a number of reasons, very important reasons he had to remind himself of every day because, goddamnit it all, Kagome was worth it waiting for. So very worth it and if he could kick himself in the ass right now, he would.

“Kagome…I’m so—”

“Just go,” she whispered without looking up. “I can’t…I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Please, just…go.” Kagome hunched her shoulders and hid her face from him.

He didn’t need his eyes or his nose to tell that she was crying. Managing to stifle a pathetic whine, Inuyasha made for the window but a rather loud buzzing sound stopped him in his tracks and he paused, looking over to her desk.

“‘Didn’t hear,’ my ass,” he muttered and before she could stop him Inuyasha snatched it up and swiped his finger across the screen. What he saw made his blood boil.

_Thinking about you sucking my cock is making me hard. Send me a picture of that pretty mouth so I can visualize._

A loud _crack_ echoed in the room and instantly he relaxed his tight grip on the phone. He winced; a crack had formed in the upper corner of the plastic. Oh well; he’d buy her a new one. Quickly he went through the rest of her texts and as he read each one the growl building in his chest grew louder and louder.

“Mother _fucker_ ,” he spat and had to prevent himself from tossing the damned thing out the window. Right now it was the only thing he had to keep in contact with her and he wasn’t about to lose that because of his temper. Forcing himself to lay it gently back on the desk, he spun around to demand why she didn’t tell him about those texts but he stopped at the look on her face, pale, wide-eyed and horrified. Her cheeks were stained with tear tracks and he could hear her heart beating erratically in her chest.

 _Dammit…_ Clenching his fists, cursing colorfully, Inuyasha glared at nothing as he made his way over to the window and opened it back up, climbing with ease out onto the metal platform of the staircase. He paused, golden eyes staring at Kagome, willing her to look at him once last time but she didn’t and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest.  

He sighed raggedly and looked away.  “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear then effortlessly leaped off the staircase and disappeared from view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh…I kinda struggled with this chapter. Mainly because, I said it once before and I’ll say it again, I loathe writing/talking about feelings. I’m just not good at it so I tend to avoid it. And anyway, more often than not they get revealed as the story progresses so the way I think there’s really no need to write them all down in a single chapter, ya know? *shrug* Meh.


	24. Chapter 24

The second Inuyasha climbed in through his bedroom window, he groaned loudly and then muttered a few oaths under his breath while kicking off his boots and pointedly looking anywhere but toward his desk. Pepper woofed a welcome from his bed and wagged her tail lazily.

“Do you have something against using the front door? I can assure you it works just as well as the window.” From his seat in Inuyasha’s desk chair, Sesshomaru put down the Cycle World magazine he’d been flipping through and arched an eyebrow at his little brother.

Inuyasha ignored the older dog demon and shed his shirt, tossing it into some random corner of his room and striding over to his dresser and rummaging around for a clean tank top to wear.  Looked like he was down to two; damn, he’d have to do some laundry pretty soon. Maybe he could get Kaede to do it for him again…

Sesshomaru sighed and stood up. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but he was hoping his brother would at least talk to him. As it was he wasn’t even looking at him and it was obvious the younger dog demon was pretending his brother wasn’t even there. Well, let it be said that Sesshomaru didn’t give up that easily.

“I’m curious, Inuyasha,” he said as said half-demon started picking up discarded clothing from the floor and tossing them into an empty laundry basket. “Kagura has told me that for the past week you have been attending your PE class; however you don’t bother with any of your other lessons.” Golden eyes watched as his little brother paused to check his mobile phone, push a few buttons, and then toss it onto the bed.  

“…Does it have anything to do with your friend Kagome being in the same class?”

Inuyasha’s ear flicked at the mention of the girl’s name but otherwise did not react as he grabbed the overflowing laundry basket and headed for the door.

Sesshomaru’s gaze narrowed.  He hadn’t wanted to bring this up, but it appeared he had no choice now.

“Rin thinks you are mad at her.”

Inuyasha froze in his tracks and the elder brother watched his back stiffen and his ears stand erect atop his head. His grip on the plastic laundry basket tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Sesshomaru knew that would stop him.  His daughter’s relationship to his younger brother was something that the little girl cherished very deeply, the two of them being very close to one another. However, since their argument last week the half-demon had barely been home, staying out after school, coming home at all hours of the night and Rin was crushed, thinking that perhaps it was something she had done for her favorite, and only Uncle Yashie to not want to come home and play with her.

Sesshomaru continued, crossing his arms. “She is always asking me where her Uncle Yashie is and why he is never home anymore and if it was something she had done.” His brows snapped low and his voice held a slight growl to it. “Inuyasha, you are hurting my daughter’s feelings and I will not tolerate it any longer.  Rin loves you, you colossal idiot, and I will not permit you to continue this preposterous charade of ignorance at the expense of my daughter’s feelings.” Sesshomaru suddenly heaved a heavy sigh and thrust a hand through hoary locks, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again to regard his younger brother with a serious look. “I understand you are angry with me.  Fine.  But you are not angry at Rin, and you will apologize to her for being a colossal idiot and you will be coming home every day after school for the rest of the week.  Understood?”

Feeling like a child being chastised, Inuyasha grit his teeth and glared heatedly straight ahead of him but abruptly his anger died when his niece’s smiling face flashed before his mind’s eye.  He swallowed around the suddenly lump in his throat and his ears drooped low on his head.  Damn, he hadn’t meant to make Rin think he was mad at her.  It was true he hadn’t been home much, not wanting to confront his brother, but he had no idea it would affect Rin so much as well. He really was a colossal idiot, wasn’t he? Hell, he was a colossal fucking asshole.  He sighed and bowed his head, his tense muscles slowly relaxing and his grip on the basket loosening.

Apparently he took too long to answer because Sesshomaru prompted him, “Inuyasha.”

He closed his eyes. “…Yeah.” It was barely above a whisper, but with his superior hearing Sesshomaru heard it without a problem.

Relaxing, the elder dog demon nodded and his expression softened. “You are my little brother, Inuyasha. I do not wish to fight with you. Please remember that I am here to listen and I want to help you. I am not the enemy that you are making me out to be.” It hurt that his younger brother wouldn’t come to him with his problems, but of course Sesshomaru would never admit that. Aloud, anyway.  “Kaede is making curry tonight,” he said as he brushed past his brother toward the door.  “I hope you will be there.”  He left and Inuyasha was alone.  

Inuyasha stood there for another moment or two, absorbing everything that was just told to him, then continued on his way to the laundry room.  He hated doing laundry, but he supposed it was one of those necessary evil things.  

**-X-**

Standing outside his niece’s bedroom fifteen minutes later, donned in a plain white tee shirt with holy jeans and barefoot, Inuyasha’s fist stopped just shy of knocking on the door.  With a growl he let his hand drop and grabbed the doorknob to just let himself in.  Rin had never minded before if he just randomly walked in so why the hell did this time feel so much more different? Why was it suddenly so hard to just open the door and walk in?

Because you know you fucked up, he mentally answered himself and heaved a sigh, resting his forehead against the cool wood of the door that separated him from his bright eyed niece.  Because you’re scared she won’t forgive you, that the second most important girl in your life won’t to talk to you and make you leave, just like… Inuyasha closed his eyes and fought against the urge to whine pitifully. Damn, he really was a fuck up, wasn’t he? First he goes and betrays Kagome’s trust and now he’s gone and hurt Rin’s feelings, too.  He had such a way with women, didn’t he?

Mentally snorting, he shook his head and steeled himself. It was now or never and if he couldn’t repair his relationship with his babydoll, at least he could try to make amends with his wonderful niece. Inuyasha sucked in a deep breath then slowly turned the knob, pushing the door open and poking his head through the crack cautiously.

Rin was sitting on the floor playing with her Barbie dolls, humming a soft little tune to herself, oblivious to her uncle’s presence. The sight made him smile and he opened the door wider to let the rest of himself in, keeping the door open.  He shoved his hands in his pockets and patiently waited for her to notice him, a few quiet chuckles escaping him when she made her Ken doll speed away in a hot pink Corvette. It was cute.

After about another three minutes or so, the little girl finally noticed the other presence in her room and she gasped softly, cinnamon eyes going wide, her dolls forgotten.  “Un-uncle…?” she whispered.

Inuyasha smiled sadly.  “Hey, Rinnie—oomph!”

Faster than lightening Rin had launched herself at him and slammed into his legs, clinging onto him for dear life as heartbreaking sobs escaped her slight frame, her face buried into his legs as she cried. “Uncle Y-Yashie!  I-I thought you were m-mad at me!” she wailed and this time a whine did escape him.

Ears flat against his head, Inuyasha knelt down and gently pried the eight year old from his legs, only to gather her into his arms and cradle her against his chest. Her sobs broke his heart and he nuzzled her hair, emitting a soothing rumble from his chest as she clung to his shirt, her form shaking. “Sshhh, Rinnie,” he murmured and stroked her back, closing his eyes and inhaling her soft scent. He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until now. “S’alright, babygirl. I’m not mad at you, okay? I promise you haven’t done anything and I’m sorry I haven’t been home.  Your dad says I’m a colossal idiot and I agree with him. C’mon, Rinnie. No more tears. You know I can’t stand it when you cry.” He kissed her forehead and gradually Rin began to calm down, quiet little hiccoughs still escaping but none of the heart-wrenching sobs from before.

Sniffling, Rin finally leaned back and stared up at him with big liquid eyes, her face flushed and her cheeks stained with tears. Gently he wiped them away with his thumb, mindful of his claw. “Y-you’re not mad at m-me?” she asked timidly and Inuyasha smiled, leaning down to rub his nose against hers. A watery smile was his reward.

“Never, Rinnie. You haven’t done anything wrong, and I promise I’ll be home more often, okay?” He kissed her nose and then tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. “Your Uncle Yashie is an idiot. Forgive me?” He gave his best puppy dog look and Rin giggled, reaching up to poke him in the nose.

“A big idiot,” she agreed and then wrapped her tiny arms around his neck in a hug. “But I still love you, Yashie. I forgive you.” Rin pulled back and beamed at him, the only evidence that she had been crying the slowly fading flush on her cheeks.

Inuyasha’s breath caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly. “Thanks, Rinnie. I love you, too,” he whispered and stood up with her in his arms.  Clearing his throat, he grinned down at his niece and flicked his ears just to hear her giggle. She did and his heart melted. “Kaede’s making curry,” he said and walked out into the hallway. “Dunno about you but I’m starving.”

Rin squealed and bounced in his arms. “I love curry! Can I sit in your lap, Yashie? Pleeassee?” She smiled charmingly up at him and fluttered her eyelashes. Her Uncle Yashie was back and she didn’t want to be away from him just yet. After all, she had to make up for all the time he’d been gone!

Inuyasha aimed a warm smile at the girl in his arms. “Of course, babygirl.”  He nuzzled her forehead and together the two of them headed downstairs, following their noses toward the delicious aroma of curry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know in the manga/anime Inuyasha doesn’t like curry because it’s too spicy, but I forgot about that little factoid when I wrote this chapter like…forever ago and I never bothered to go back to fix it and I’m too lazy now to do anything about it so just pretend that it doesn’t bother him hahaha.


	25. Chapter 25

The next day Souta skipped down the steps to his apartment building at about seven-thirty, holding a bundle of black leather under his arm and holding onto the strap of his backpack with his free hand. Both feet landed on the sidewalk with a soft thud and eyes the same shade as his older sister’s looked up, having no trouble spotting the huge, expensive looking red pickup and making his way toward it.

Inuyasha exited the truck and walked around to meet Kagome’s younger brother. Where was she? “Souta, right?” he asked.

The boy nodded. “Yeah. Sis left early today and told me to give you this.” He offered the bundle of leather to the half-demon and Inuyasha frowned.

_My jacket._  Shit. Obviously Kagome wasn’t ready to talk yet. He ignored the pang in his chest and took the old leather and sighed, staring down at it, lost in thought for a moment before lifting his gaze to the boy before him. Souta wasn’t staring at him, rather, his gaze was riveted to his truck and Inuyasha raised his eyebrows as he followed the kid’s gaze. One side of his mouth quirked up into a half-grin.

“You like it?” he asked.

Souta nodded. “Uh huh. I like all kind of cars and trucks. I have a secret stash of car magazines hidden in my room.” He crinkled his nose. “Father doesn’t like me reading them.”

“Heh. Me too.” An idea popped into Inuyasha’s head then and he nonchalantly asked, “…You want a ride to school?” Maybe he could score some brownie points with Kagome by being nice to her brother. Besides, he seemed like a cool kid. They even had the same interests.

Souta’s eyes went wide and he spun around to stare hopefully at the half-demon. “Really?!” Then suddenly the hopeful look died to be replaced by one of wariness, his eyes narrowing slightly. “But you did something to make my sister upset. How do I know I can trust you?” He crossed his arms and looked took on the protective brother role, even though he was several years younger and way shorter than him to boot.  The half-demon repressed a snort of amusement. Kid had guts, he’d give him that much.  He liked him already.

Outwardly, Inuyasha winced and thrust a hand through his silver hair.  “Yeah, I know I fu—uh, messed up and I’m doing what I can to fix it. Your sister is…important to me and I’m a colossal idiot for upsetting her.” He locked gazes with the kid and awaited his verdict.

Souta was silent for a moment, appraising him and his little speech, before deciding to believe the half-demon and gave a curt jerk of his head. And then the protective brother façade disappeared and he was a little boy again, grinning wildly and nearly levitating in his excitement to ride in the huge truck.  “Let’s go! I can’t wait to see my friend’s faces when they see me!” Souta exclaimed as he zoomed over to the vehicle and hopped onto side door step to reach the door handle.

Inuyasha released a breath, glad that was over with and chuckled as he ambled over to open the door for the struggling ten year old. Souta climbed in and eagerly looked around the interior as the older male shut the door and rounded the truck to get behind the wheel.

Making sure Kagome’s brother was all buckled up, Inuyasha put his pride and joy into drive and merged back into traffic, headed toward the Elementary School.  

Ten minutes later on his way to the high school, he was still grinning stupidly from Souta introducing him to his friends as Kagome’s boyfriend.

**-X-**

Kagome was so very tempted to feign a stomach ache or some kind of ailment so she could plead to go down to the nurses office, but knew that if she did she wouldn’t even be halfway down to Sae’s office before the guilt started gnawing at her conscience and she’d end up turning back around anyway.

So with a heavy heart, Kagome entered the girl’s locker room and got changed, not at all looking forward to see Inuyasha at the moment or Naraku. She hadn’t seen much of the black haired boy ever since the brawl he and Inuyasha had gotten into so PE had been a lot less stressful as of late. However she didn’t know if he’d be attending class today or not, so Kagome was on edge as she pushed open the door leading into the gym and cautiously looked around. And true enough, there he was, changed into the appropriate class attire and chatting with his friends. Kagome paled and forced herself to look away and ignore him, hastily making her way over to Sango and some of the girls she’d made friends with.  It was a possibility that Naraku was responsible for the lewd texts she had been receiving and Kagome had believed Inuyasha when he’d said as much Monday morning after picking her up. She’d do her best to ignore him and prayed that today’s activity wasn’t co-ed.

Thankfully it wasn’t; the girls were playing a game of soft ball while the boys kicked around a soccer ball. It wasn’t until half-way through the class that Kagome realized Inuyasha hadn’t shown up and looking around again, neither had Miroku.  She realized with a tad bit of guilt that she was happy the half-demon hadn’t shown up because she wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. She knew he would pull her aside and attempt to explain so relief was the most prominent emotion upon realizing he was a no-show.

Among relief, however, Kagome was confused and worried. Confused because it wasn’t like him to not be around whenever Naraku was around, even if it was in a room full of other students and she was worried because this was the first time he’d skipped this class. And Kagome knew he was skipping; she’d already figured it out that PE was the only class he attended because he never showed up in their other classes and throughout the day she always saw him lounging about in the courtyard and she never saw him carrying textbooks or a backpack. Kagome didn’t even know where his locker was.

At first she hadn’t wanted to believe it, kept telling herself that Inuyasha really did have a free period like Sango said, he did go to his classes and never brought home his books because he did his homework ahead of time…or something… But as time went on the more evidence pointed out that Inuyasha skipped his classes and only went to PE because she was there. But if that were the case, why didn’t he go to their other lessons as well?  Maybe he hated the subjects?  Was failing them so saw no point in going? Whatever the case, Kagome wanted to get to the bottom of it. Just…not right now. After she had time to gather her thoughts and slow forget what she’d witnessed.

PE went by without further event, Naraku not even sparing her a glance thankfully, however it was slightly strange. She thought that without Inuyasha there to “protect” her, so to speak, Naraku would be all over her – figuratively speaking, of course. It might have been because Mr. Shou was keeping a very close eye on him but whatever it was, Kagome was grateful.

After changing, she and Sango headed to the cafeteria and once more Kagome was nervous, knowing that Inuyasha wouldn’t skip lunch. Sure enough, he was sitting at their usual table with Miroku, looking slightly pensive and as if sensed she was near, he looked up and their gazes collided. Kagome blushed and looked away, busying herself with selecting her lunch for that day, a chicken salad sandwich, an apple and a juice box. She pointedly ignored the amber eyes that stared her down as she sat on the other side of the bench, as far away from him as she could manage.  She didn’t say anything and kept her head down, poking her straw in her juice box and nibbling on the end of it. Three pairs of eyes bore into the top of her head but she valiantly ignored them and sipped on her juice, flushing a dark red.

After a few minutes Sango and Miroku engaged in conversation and she relaxed slightly, however she could still feel Inuyasha’s gaze searing the side of her head. Then finally after what seemed like a small eternity he turned his head and Kagome nearly sighed aloud with relief. She couldn’t look at him without remembering what he looked like yesterday behind the school, wrapped around that attractive red-head.

Her reprieve, though, was short-lived. A moment later her phone vibrated in her pocket and she stiffened, automatically knowing who it was because whoever has been sending her those nasty texts, he didn’t do it during school hours.  Biting her lip, she reluctantly withdrew her phone and swiped her finger across the screen.

_Do I disgust you so much that you can’t even look at me now?_

Kagome’s mouth dropped as she stared wide-eyed at the message.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Inuyasha glance at her then back down to his phone; it looked like he was on Facebook or something. Swallowing thickly, Kagome hastily sent a text back, a stab of guilt piercing her conscience. How could he even think that?

_No of course not! How could you even think that?!_

His reply was fast.  _Then look at me dammit!_

Kagome grit her teeth and forced herself to turn her head and lift her gaze to his face. He was already staring at her and the intensity in his golden eyes made her breath catch in her throat.  Instantly his expression softened and she heard a soft sigh escape him. His eyes begged her to talk to him, or to at least hear him out and Kagome felt her chest constrict. It was obvious now to Kagome that what he did was eating at him, how guilty he felt and that her avoidance was like salt on a wound.  A stab of guilt went through  _her_ then and she suddenly felt like a fool. Instead of being an adult about this, Kagome was taking the coward’s way out, leaving home early so she didn’t have to see him, making Souta give back his jacket like a petulant child, and now refusing to even look at him because it was too much.  

Inuyasha must have seen the defeat in her eyes because he didn’t waste any time in shooting her a text.

_Meet me on the roof last period. I want to talk to you. Please?_

Kagome stared hard down at the message on her phone, worrying her bottom lip as a thoughtful frown marred her features. He wanted her to…skip a class? Just the idea of it sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine. Kagome was a straight A student, always handing in her assignments on time, never late for class, dutifully taking notes and giving the correct answer when called upon. Skipping? That was absurd!  And anyway, if her father ever found out she was skipping classes, there would be Hell to pay. His children were perfect students, and perfect students didn’t skip classes to spend time with a half-demon boy she was hopelessly growing attached to.

But…at the same time, Kagome knew that they needed to talk and also knew it would sound like she’d just be spouting off excuses if she declined, even if they really were true.  Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, knowing her decision, but not really liking it. She didn’t look at him as she replied.

_Okay._

**-X-**

All too soon last period had arrived and Kagome sat at her desk. She was a bundle of nerves, not able to relax, bouncing her leg, tapping her pen against the desk and sending furtive glances at the clock every few minutes.  Kagome planned to feign a stomach ache and ask to go to the nurse’s office and knew this would work. Professor Hichaki was a kind man and did his best to relate to his students so he usually had no problems with letting his students go to Sae’s.  It was only ten minutes into the lesson, and Kagome would set her plan into motion in another ten.

Just then the door opened and Kouga Matsuno lazily swaggered in, a Tootsie Pop in his mouth and a bored expression on his face. His cerulean eyes scanned the class and unexpectedly landed on her before narrowing slightly. Kagome drew back at the sight of him; dear god, it looked like he’d just gotten back from a fight. And why the hell was he staring at her?

“You’re late, Matsuno,” Mr. Hichaki drawled without looking away from the chalkboard.

“Sorry,” Kouga muttered, not sounding sorry at all before tearing his searing gaze away from her and heading to his seat, flopping down unceremoniously. He withdrew his notebook and started copying down the notes, seemingly ignoring her now.

Kagome stared at him warily for a moment before shrugging it off and looking at the clock again.

It wasn’t even five minutes later when Kouga suddenly stood up and meandered his way toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Hichaki asked, pausing in writing his notes.

“Bathroom,” he said simply before disappearing.

“Yes, Kouga, you may go to the bathroom,” Hichaki said dryly and the class laughed quietly.

Seven minutes later the wolf still hadn’t returned and Kagome raised her hand, doing her best to appear sickly and weak.  Two minutes later and as predicted Kagome had gathered her things and was headed down the hallway, however her destination wasn’t Sae’s office.  If she remembered correctly, the door leading to the staircase that led to the roof was on the other side of the whole floor, next to the study hall room.  Kagome walked the silent halls to the other side, hoping, praying that a teacher didn’t catch her and ask what she was doing out of class.

Thankfully she wasn’t stopped and as she rounded the corner to the study hall hallway she breathed a sigh of relief. She could see the doorway now—

Kagome froze in the middle of the hallway.

Leaning casually against the door that would lead her to Inuyasha, one hand shoved in his pocket and a knee bent with his booted foot flat against the door, Kouga Matsuno popped the sucker out of his mouth and studied it with bored cobalt eyes, looking for all the world like he didn’t notice her but Kagome knew better. He was a wolf demon and as such would have scented her long before she rounded the corner.

“Kagome Higurashi,” he said slowly, drawing out her name and Kagome’s heartbeat quickened its pace.  “How convenient that I meet you here. Or maybe not.” He shrugged and promptly tossed the sucker away from him; it shattered upon impact to the floor. The wolf trained his blue eyes on her and Kagome took an involuntary step back. He raised a brow.

“If I’m right,” he said and pushed away from the door. “You’re the chick that the mutt’s been drooling over lately.” His gaze scanned her up and down and she suddenly felt very exposed.  A nasty smirk developed on his tanned features and he took a few steps toward her. Kagome fumbled backward.  “You’re cute. Not exceptionally beautiful, but I can see why he’d go for someone like you.  Nice legs, decent rack, flat stomach, curvy hips.  Hell, I’d probably take a shot if I wasn’t already taken.” Suddenly his eyes darkened and the smirk dropped from his mouth. “Which brings me to my next point.”

Kagome swallowed around the lump in her throat that was making it hard to breathe and continued to distance herself from him, chocolate eyes wide and her face pale. What was he doing? She didn’t understand, she hadn’t done anything to piss him off!

Kouga continued to advance slowly and with every step forward Kagome took one step back.  A predatory gleam had entered his blue eyes now and it made her heart skip a beat in fear. “My girlfriend, Ayame,” he started. “She tried to hide it with cigarette smoke and perfume but you see, dear Kagome, the fucking nauseating stench of horny dog is damn near impossible to cover up when you have a superior nose like mine and it didn’t take long at all to figure out that dog-breath had fucked my woman.”

Kagome flinched at the harsh reminder and that was when the door behind him started rattling as something heavy slammed repeatedly against it and vaguely Kagome was aware of someone yelling her name but didn’t register anything beyond that. The blood rushing in her ears blocked anything else out.

Kouga either ignored it or didn’t even notice as he sneered and continued. He was too close for comfort now and Kagome was running out of hallway. “So I came to a conclusion.” Another smirk worked its way onto his features and the implications behind it had Kagome trembling with dread. “I figured, if the stupid mutt could fool around with  _my_  woman without a fucking care in the world, I’ll just return the favor with  _his_  bitch.  Sounds fair, right?” Kouga didn’t wait for an answer and with a dark laugh, he closed the distance between them in a single bound.

Kagome’s scream was cut off by a ruthless mouth crushing down on her own.


	26. Chapter 26

**_Thirty minutes earlier_ **

“Oi, dogshit. Where you off to in such a hurry?”

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks on his way to the roof door and closed his eyes, jaw clenching and hands balling into tight fists. “None of your damn business, fleabag,” he retorted as he turned around, folding his arms across his chest. Like hell he’d make the foolish mistake of having his back turned to the wolfshit. Kouga played dirty and Inuyasha learned early on to keep his guard up when it came to him.

Kouga sneered at him and unwrapped a blue Tootsie Pop before popping it into his mouth. Inuyasha rolled his eyes; the wolf was hardly ever seen without the fruity sweet stuck in his pie hole and it was a wonder he hadn’t gained a hundred fucking pounds with how many he went through a day. However the half-demon did grudgingly admit it was a better alternative to his chain smoking, in which he quit a few months ago, which is also why he never commented on the endless consumption of suckers.

“Whaddaya want, wolf? I’m busy,” Inuyasha said when Kouga just continued to slowly advance, bored expression on his face as usual as he sucked on the treat.

Kouga snorted his opinion of that. “What could you possibly be busy with? Unless,” he took the lollie out of his mouth and studied it for a moment before rewrapping it in the blue paper and pocketing it. Then twin pools of blue fire were trained on him and the fine hairs on the back of Inuyasha’s neck stood on end.  “You’re on your way to go fuck another man’s woman.  Now  _that_  I can believe.”

Fuck. Inuyasha winced.  “Kouga—”

“Shut the  _fuck_  up.” Kouga charged and with a curse Inuyasha braced himself, holding out his hands just in time for the wolf to slam into him with a savage growl and clawed hands locked round his biceps to prevent him from getting squashed. The hanyou grunted as he was propelled backwards and rammed into the wall but Kouga didn’t give him time to recover; the wolf’s fist was flying toward his face and he just barely managed to duck his head in time, twisting his body and roughly shoving his shoulder into his opponent’s gut with enough force to knock him backwards.

“Dammit, wolf, I don’t wanna fight—!” He grunted as Kouga’s boot connected with his side and without thinking he retaliated, crouching low onto his haunches and sweeping out his leg to knock the wolf off his feet, or at least get him to back off a bit. As predicted Kouga avoided that with a well-timed jump but instead of moving back he lunged forward and smashed his fist into the half-demon’s cheek. Inuyasha cried out in alarm and grit his teeth against the pain ricocheting through his brain.

“I’m gonna fucking waste you, mutt!” Kouga growled lowly, an almost manic look on his face as he pounced on the half-demon and started pummeling Inuyasha’s face with his fists, to which most of them he avoided but by the time Inuyasha managed to get in a few of his own and roll out from under the wolf, his face was bloody and decorated with bruises. He thanked god for his accelerated healing because otherwise his face would look like a damn balloon, he was sure.

Heaving himself to his feet with some difficulty, breathing heavily and glaring at his opponent, Inuyasha turned his head slightly to spit out some bloody saliva but didn’t take his gaze away from the wolf. Kouga was visibly trembling with anger and Inuyasha knew he had to tread lightly.

“Dunno what you’re so pissed about.” Inuyasha smirked. “Obviously  _you_  can’t keep her satisfied enough so who I am to deny her a good hard ride?”

Well, so much for treading lightly.

“ _Motherfucker!_ ” With an inhumane cry, Kouga rushed forward and before Inuyasha could even blink two hundred pounds of infuriated wolf demon crashed into him with enough force to knock the wind out of him and suddenly he was crushed against the wall with Kouga’s muscled body forcibly pressing him into the hard concrete, a thick forearm was cutting off his air supply and a bloody palm was pushed against his forehead, fingers ruthlessly digging into his skull.

Kouga’s face was inches from his own, cobalt eyes flashing dangerously and Inuyasha glowered right back, lips pulled back into a lethal snarl. If his head wasn’t so tightly secured he’d head-butt the fucker into next week.

“Touch my woman again,” Kouga rumbled lowly, malice lining each and every word.  He tightened his hold on the half-demon’s head.  “And you’re a dead man.”

Then with a truly wicked smile, Kouga pulled his head forward and promptly smashed it against the wall behind him with a sickening  _crack._

Inuyasha knew pain, and then darkness.

**-X-**

The first thing that Inuyasha was aware of is it felt like his head was going to explode and the second was he was very uncomfortable.

With a low, pain filled groan, Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut tight before slowly cracking them open and was relieved when it didn’t bring any pain. It was dark and cold where he was, the surface he was lying on was hard, smelled of metal and sulfur, and was he upside down? No, wait, he wasn’t. Inuyasha shifted and winced; every muscle in his body was stiff and ached as he moved to put his hands on the floor and heave himself up into a sitting position. His neck hurt like a son of a bitch, and looking behind him, he could easily guess why. His head was facing the stairway that led down beneath the school into the boiler room and his head had been hanging off of the platform he was now sitting on. If Kouga had thrown him any farther, he’d probably be at the bottom of the stairs and with a few broken bones to boot; the stairs were steel and sturdy as hell.

And speaking of broken bones, Inuyasha stilled and took stock of his injuries, carefully moving each limb on his body and with relief finding nothing shattered or severely wounded. The worse of the pain was coming from the back his head and lifting a few fingers to his face, he gently prodded the tender skin around his jaw. Thankfully that was still intact as well; however he was sure there was a nice bruise there now. His side ached from the kick Kouga had delivered earlier but other than that Inuyasha wasn’t too bad off injury wise.

He was still gonna beat the damn wolf to a bloody pulp, though.

Gritting his teeth, screwing his eyes shut and bracing himself, Inuyasha grunted as he got to his feet, his body protesting every movement but somehow managed to stand upright. His head, however, objected big time and his vision swam for a moment, his head suddenly feeling like it was in a vice. He wobbled and swayed to the side; hastily he threw out a hand to steady himself against the wall, panting hard as he tried to regain his equilibrium. Fuck, if he hadn’t been half-demon, Inuyasha was pretty damn sure his brains would be splattered all over that wall right now. Ugh. Nasty mental image.

Damn, what time was it? He was supposed to meet Kagome up on the roof; he hoped he hadn’t been passed out the entire period. Inuyasha frowned. But if he had been out that long, wouldn’t have she found his body lying on the floor and got help? Alright so perhaps he’d only been out for a few minutes. He certainly hoped so; Kagome had finally agreed to talk to him and he didn’t want to waste this opportunity.  

Ignoring the aches and pains in his body and the insistent pounding in his head, he started for the staircase that would take him to the roof but then stopped.  Now that he was standing up, a deep and familiar voice was coming from the other side of the door and cautiously he lifted an ear to get a better idea of who it was. His temples throbbed in complaint but he ignored it as his brows snapped low over his eyes in a confused frown.  What was Kouga still hanging around here for? He should have been in class by now, pretending to take notes and generally being a dickhead to those around him. Who was he talking to? Fuck, if it was a teacher there was no telling what sorts of lies he was spinning—

_“—mutt’s been drooling over lately.”_

It was obvious who the mutt in question was and Inuyasha was instantly offended _. The fuck? I haven’t been drooling over anything!_

_“You’re cute. Not exceptionally beautiful, but I can see why he’d go for someone like you.”_

Every sore muscle in Inuyasha’s body tensed and his back stiffened as the color drained from his face, vaguely aware that he was still talking but not registering the words.   _No._   Kouga wasn’t talking to a teacher.

_“—but you see, dear Kagome—”_

“Kagome,” Inuyasha said, his voice wavering and amber eyes wide in alarm as an all-consuming fear seized his body, making his heart beat faster, his breath come in short pants and a cold sweat to break out on his forehead. Without thinking he rushed toward the door and grasped the handle—but his hand grabbed at nothing and vividly Inuyasha cursed. The fucker took the knob off this side of the door!  _“Kagome!”_  Inuyasha screamed and rammed his body into the door, over and over, desperate to escape, to save her from the wolf’s maniacal schemes.  He had a very bad feeling he knew where this was going, a twisted sort of revenge for having sex with Ayame.  _“Don’t you fucking touch her, Kouga! I swear to fucking God if you touch her—!”_

_“—came to a conclusion.”_

_“Kagome! Run, dammit! Get out of there!”_ Inuyasha pounded on the metal door, gouging it with his claws, ramming his shoulder with it over and over but the damn thing wouldn’t budge. “Shit!” He was growing frantic. Oh, God, what if he didn’t get out there in time? What if— “Goddammit!  ** _Kagome!_** ” More pounding and slamming his shoulder but to no avail. His vision was bleeding red by now and the adrenalin was pumping through his body. He didn’t notice the abnormal length of his claws or the way his fangs were starting to overlap his bottom lip.

 _“—I’ll just return the favor with_ his _bitch.  Sounds fair, right?”_

He heard Kouga’s dark laugh and Kagome’s scream but it was abruptly cut off and Inuyasha lost it.

Twin violet, jagged stripes blazoned across Inuyasha’s cheeks and with a snarl, he cranked back his arm, balled his hand into a tight fist and with all the strength he had in his full demon body, punched the metal that separated him from his girl, his mate, his everything, his Kagome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lame fight scene between Inuyasha and Kouga. I am terrible with fighting scenes and I try to avoid them, however this was necessary so… *shrug* If I could, I would literally have somebody write them for me. Seriously. That’s how bad I suck at them and I hate writing them, probably even more than I hate writing about feelings. :|
> 
> Anyhoot, yes, Inuyasha did turn full demon at the end. But I’m not going to have him go all ape shit on a blood thirsty rampage. Just knock Kouga around a bit and save his girl. Huzzah!


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is attempted rape at the beginning of this chapter. It’s not very detailed, and it’s just the first paragraph, but I figured I should warn you all the same.

Kagome’s legs gave out and a thickly muscled arm arrested her waist, preventing her from escaping, a tongue not her own invading her mouth and effectively cutting off her scream of terror. The sickly sweet taste of blue raspberry assaulted her taste buds and she gagged, struggling frantically against the wolf, pushing at his chest and slapping her hands against his cheeks as hard as she could. Tears sprang to her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she squirmed against him, panic and desperation causing her body to shake uncontrollably.  However her efforts seemed more of a hindrance to him and Kouga grunted in annoyance, his attack on her mouth unrelenting as he roughly bit down on her bottom lip and shoved a hand into the waistband of her skirt. She tasted blood.

“N-nnnggh!”   _Inuyasha, please help me!_  Kagome kicked with her feet and grabbed his wrist to stop it from venturing further, squeezing her thighs shut.  _Inu—!_

A loud, animalistic snarl suddenly rent the air and the next second the metal door behind them flew open with a resounding crash that reverberated in her ears.  Kouga tore his bloody mouth away from hers and cranked his neck around. “What the fuck—”

He never finished his sentence.  Kouga was abruptly ripped away from her and Kagome sank to the floor, shaking and bringing up a hand to her bloody lip as she watched the scene before her unfold with wide, fear-filled eyes.   _Inu…yasha…?_

The half-demon – or at least what looked like him – had Kouga pinned against the wall with his clawed hand wrapped tightly around the wolf demon’s throat, his lips pulled back into a truly fearsome snarl. If Kagome wasn’t mistaken his fangs and claws were definitely longer than normal but what really drew her attention were the jagged streaks of lavender that blazoned across his cheeks and were his eyes…red?   _What…happened to him?_

A nasty smile curved Inuyasha’s mouth as the rank scent of fear rolled off of the bastard in waves but the wolf was putting up a front and glaring right back at him, baring his teeth and growling lowly.  He resisted the urge to snort in amusement.  Ballsy asshole. Making sure to keep his eyes on the fleabag to make sure he didn’t try anything, Inuyasha slightly turned his head and trained an ear on the frightened girl to his left. Aside from being terrified out of her wits and trembling violently, his girl seemed like she was okay and even though he could decent the faint smell of blood, it was nothing to be concerned about at the moment. He’d take care of it later but for now…he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Giving the piece of shit his undivided attention, the hanyou turned full-demon tightened his grip around Kouga’s throat and studied him very closely with crimson eyes. He didn’t say anything, just silently stared as if he had all the patience in the world.  For a while Kouga struggled against his hold and pretended the unrelenting stare wasn’t getting to him but it was obvious Inuyasha’s close scrutiny was beginning to unnerve the blue eyed wolf demon. He squirmed uncomfortably and flicked his gaze off to the side, toward his girl and that Inuyasha had no tolerance for.

He cracked the bastard’s head against the wall but not nearly with as much force to knock him out as Kouga had done to him earlier. “Eyes on me, asshole,” he growled.  “Don’t you fucking look at her.”

“I’ll look wherever I damn well please, half-breed,” Kouga spat and raised a hand to sink his claws into the dog demon’s wrist.  Inuyasha didn’t flinch however his eyes did narrow a tad and the talon on his thumb dug just a little deeper into his skin. Instantly Kouga stilled as a cold sweat broke out on his brow. One side of Inuyasha’s lips slightly curved upward condescendingly and the wolf wished he could jerk his knee upwards and ram it into the half-breed’s crotch. As it was, he didn’t dare move, not with a sharp talon dangerously close to his jugular, a position Kouga just knew had been chosen deliberately.  That single claw was the only thing preventing him from breaking out of Inuyasha’s hold and kicking some ass; the grip around his neck wasn’t even that tight, the half-demon knowing that he wouldn’t dare struggle with a talon digging into his neck, so close to his jugular vein.   


Cocky bastard.

Swallowing thickly, and then wincing as that damn claw pressed in even further at the act, Kouga locked gazes with the beast in front of him because he sure as hell wasn’t dealing with a half-demon anymore. He hadn’t been able to smell any human blood in his assailant strangely, only demon blood. He hadn’t anticipated the fucker to go full demon on him so he had to go about this delicately.

“Alright, dog-breath,” he said lowly.  “Why don’t you let me go and we can settle this with a more…fair approach.” Kouga eased up on his wrist and detached his claws, a subtle plea that the dog demon would follow through as well.

Inuyasha did not heed it, much to the wolf demon’s dismay. What he received instead was a humorless bark of laughter that sent chills down his spine. Inuyasha scowled darkly and swiftly maneuvered his thumb so that he was pressing up onto the wolf’s windpipe, cutting off his air supply. Kouga choked but Inuyasha ignored it. “Fair?” he repeated, his scarlet eyes narrowing even further until they were merely slits. “ _Fair_  as in how you kicked me around, knocked me out and then fucking threw me behind a  _locked_  door with the goddamned doorknob missing so I couldn’t stop you from trying to fucking  _rape_ Kagome?”

Kagome flinched and ducked her head while Inuyasha watched with a satisfying gleam in his eye as the color drained from Kouga’s face. He sneered. “I don’t fucking think so, asshole.”

Then without any further words, he dug his claws into the wolfshit’s neck and heaved him across the hallway with all his might.  Unfortunately Kouga swiftly reacted and twisted in midair, using his feet to bounce off of the wall with a grunt and landing in a crouched position on the floor.  However like before when Kouga didn’t give the half-demon time to recover, Inuyasha had no such qualms about that either and rushed the wolf; Kouga barely had time to curse at the dog demon’s uncharacteristic speed before he was sliding across the tiled floor from a roundhouse kick to his jaw.

“How’s it feel, Kouga?” Inuyasha taunted from the other end of the hallway with a malicious grin. “To be the one getting kicked around without having any time to defend yourself? Not fun, is it.”

“Fuck y—” Kouga began but was abruptly cut off when a familiar clawed hand was suddenly fisting the collar of his shirt and hoisting him up.  When the hell did the half-breed get so damn fast?!

“Well, maybe not fun for  _you,_ ” Inuyasha continued as he once more swung around with the wolf in his grip and carelessly tossed him down the hallway again. “I’m certainly having a good time.” He did this again and again, running to the blue eyed wolf demon before he could get up and hoisting him up only to heave him down again.

Kagome, who had been silent throughout the whole ordeal, watched all of this with horrified brown eyes, her face pale and a shaky hand covering her mouth. Never before had she seen the half-demon act like this, so ruthless, uncaring and…cruel.  Inuyasha was the nicest boy she knew; never had she ever imagined seeing him like this, mercilessly throwing another student around, demon or not, snide taunts and comments falling from his lips and those blue and red eyes so…sinister. They had Kagome’s skin crawling and she found she didn’t like the feeling. At all.

Inuyasha flicked a glance at the silent girl watching the whole thing and he paused. Kagome was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes, unshed tears threatening to fall down her pallid cheeks and she was still trembling. Instantly guilt crashed into him like a punch to the gut and he realized what he must have looked like to the beautiful ebony haired teenager, fangs and claws abnormally longer, red eyes in a perpetual heated glare and no doubt a pair of purple slashes across his cheekbones. Inuyasha clenched his jaw briefly before releasing a sigh and staring back down at his enemy. Kouga was struggling to his feet, various cuts and bruises adoring his face and arms along with a bloody nose, his breathing labored.  It was obvious the wolf was running out of stream from being repeatedly smashed into the walls and floor and even though Inuyasha felt a smidge of smug accomplishment, it was swiftly replaced by self-disgust. Damn, he had never lost control like that before. Yeah, he’d gone full demon in the past, actually the last time being just a few months ago when his mother had… Inuyasha shook his head and scowled. Fact was, he knew that he had to stop before he caused permanent damage in his and Kagome’s relationship. The look in her eyes damn near tore him apart, a look that he caused and he wasn’t at all proud of that detail.

Decision made, Inuyasha grit his teeth and stalked over to the wolf-demon, reaching down to grab his shirt and haul him up one more time. Kouga gave a token resistance in a form of a growl but Inuyasha ignored it as he shoved his face into the wolf’s and waited until those cobalt eyes were clear and focused on him.  “You’ve been warned,” he rumbled lowly, the words laced with venom.  “Touch  _my_ woman again,” he said, returning Kouga’s previous words. “And you’ll regret the day you  _ever_  met me.” And with that, Inuyasha unceremoniously dropped the scrawny wolf to the floor and headed toward the girl cowering on the floor a few feet away from them.  

Kagome tensed and without thinking scrambled backward away from him, a tiny squeak of alarm escaping her bloodied lips. Inuyasha faltered and stifled the apologetic whine that bubbled up.  Shit. He forgot for a split second that he was still full-demon. He stopped and took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes and concentrating on calming his demon blood so his human blood could rise to the surface again.  A moment later he could feel his fangs shortening, his claws retracting and his heart rate return to normal. He flipped his eyes open again and was somewhat reassured at the look of awe on Kagome’s face, the scent of fear slowly receding. He took an experimental step toward her; when she didn’t backpedal or cry out he took that as a good sign and continued the rest of the way, his movements slow as he hunkered down before her and cautiously reached out a hand to touch her hair. She gasped but didn’t flinch.

“Kagome,” he rasped and cleared his throat; for some reason his voice was always deeper when he changed.  “S’okay. Don’t…be scared. Please.” His ears lowered on his head.

The girl watched in disbelief as the red in Inuyasha’s eyes slowly retreated, the brilliant amber that Kagome adored once more dominant. The streaks on his flesh were gradually fading until they disappeared altogether like they were never there in the first place, leaving the half-demon’s skin flawless once again.  She swallowed thickly and with a shaky hand reached up to touch his cheek with her finger tips; Inuyasha held stock still, allowing her to do whatever she wished in order to reassure herself.

“You’re…back,” she whispered and he nodded slowly.

“I never left,” he rumbled and turned his head slightly to kiss her fingers. Color suffused her pale cheeks and he held back a smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, babydoll.  Just…” He swallowed the lump in his throat.  “I was…terrified that I couldn’t get to you in time, that he would—” A finger was suddenly pressed against his lips and he obediently shut up, a peculiar prickling sensation behind his eyes causing him to blink rapidly.

“Shh,” Kagome breathed and also had to swallow around the lump in her throat that was making it hard to breath.  “Later. Now can you just…” Her gaze drifted over his shoulder and she tensed. “Please get me out of here.”

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder; Kouga was sitting up and pressing a hand to his head, a steady flow of muffled oaths falling from his lips.

Without a word Inuyasha reached out and gathered Kagome in his arms, lifting her up with little effort and striding down the hallway, away from the recovering wolf demon. Kagome’s arms went around his neck and she hid her face in his shoulder; he allowed a small smile to grace his features. He rounded the corner and entered the unisex bathroom, using his foot to lower the toilet lid and sitting her down on it. Inuyasha locked the door, ripped off a strip of his plaid over shirt and wetted it down with warm water in the sink.

He was silent as he turned the water off then crouched down before her again, gently taking her chin in his hand and dapping at her bloody lip. Kagome winced and he paused, muttering an apology before tenderly wiping away the dried blood, getting a good look at the pierced flesh. Thankfully it wasn’t too severe but knowing that that damn wolf had his fucking mouth on her—

A soft hand was cupping his cheek and it was then that he realized a steady growl was emitting from his chest.  He stopped and looked a mite sheepish as he continued to bathe her lower lip with the damp fabric. Once satisfied her flesh was thoroughly cleaned of any blood, he tossed the rag in the trash, took her in his arms once more and sank to the floor with her in his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her and burying his face in the crook of her neck.

And then the dam released, hot tears wetting the flesh of Kagome’s neck as suddenly the tables were turned and he was the one that was being comforted by soft assurances and gentle hands instead of the other way around as what was the half-demon’s intention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I didn’t have Inuyasha lose all coherent thought and become a blood thirsty, rampaging demon. Why? Because I can. My story, my rules. And for the sake of this chapter, just pretend that the hallway in which the altercation took place is at the very end of the school where there are no classrooms – save the empty study hall room – and only the janitors and maintenance venture this way to go to the roof or boiler room and nobody knew or heard what was going on. Or whatever. I had to keep reminding myself that they are in a school and as such couldn’t have too much damage.


	28. Chapter 28

Enthusiastic barking greeted him as he walked in the door to his home and a half-hearted smile lit his features. “Hey, girl,” he said softly and spent a minute or two saying hello to his faithful companion. Afterward Inuyasha heaved a heavy sigh and cast a longing look toward the staircase; as much as he wanted to drag his sorry ass upstairs and just collapse on his bed, there was a sweet little girl waiting for his arrival in the other room and he couldn’t bear to break her heart again. So he trudged his way through the foyer into the living room, Pepper trailing at his heels, and a minute later he was standing in the doorway of Rin’s playroom, not for the first time wondering how a girl can love pink so much.

“Uncle Yashie!” His niece squealed and zoomed across the room to latch onto his legs and Inuyasha laughed down at the giggling girl.

“Oi,” he said and reached down to scoop her up into his arms. “Alright, Clingy McGee, did you behave yourself today?”

Rin giggled again at the nickname and nodded her head so enthusiastically Inuyasha thought it would fall off. “Uh huh! I drew and colored lots of pictures in school today and because they were so good Kaede said we can make cookies after dinner!” She beamed brightly and he returned it with his own.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! Oh! Wanna see?!” Before he could answer his niece was squirming to be put down and he obliged, watching in amusement as she zipped to a small table and gathered up several pieces of paper. In another second she’d raced across the floor and was proudly displaying her masterpieces to her Uncle Yashie, a wide grin on her dear features. 

Crouching down before her, Inuyasha whistled low in and nodded in approval, reaching over to ruffle the girl’s hair. “Oi, Kaede,” he said to the old woman, who’d been watching the two in amusement from a recliner. “Looks like we have a natural on our hands here.” He grinned and aimed a wink at the nanny. 

Rin flushed and if it was possible her smile grew even bigger. Kaede chuckled. “Aye, Inuyasha, I believe you are right. You’d best show those to your father when he comes home, dear. I bet he will be very proud.”

“No doubt about it,” Inuyasha agreed and tugged her close to give her a hug. “Who knows? Maybe someday you’ll better than even me.” He grinned as the eight year old girl’s widened to almost comical proportions as she stared at her uncle. Yashie was the bestest most awesomest artist she knew of and his drawings were always so amazing! To hear him say that was the best compliment she could have gotten out of him.

“Really, Yashie?” she breathed and he nodded, grin still in place. Then she squealed and Inuyasha’s ears flattened against his head. Let it never be said that his niece’s lungs weren’t powerful. She tackled him in a hug and he grunted in pain, wincing slightly though thankfully she was too busy hugging him to notice. While the majority of his cuts and bruises had from his altercation with Kouga had vanished, his abdomen and chest were still tender and he suspected the bruising wouldn’t go away for another few hours. He also noticed that it sort of hurt to breathe so he wouldn’t be surprised if the damn wolf had cracked a rib.

Forcing a smile, he returned her hug then pulled back a little. “That’s right, squirt, now gimme some sugar.” He nuzzled noses with her and Rin giggled before placing a wet kiss on his cheek. He blew a raspberry on hers and she dissolved into giggles once more. Shaking his head, he kissed her forehead then finally straightened, watching as she skipped over to her small table and continued drawing on construction paper, humming happily.

“Save me some cookies, squirt,” Inuyasha said and received a chipper “Kay!” in response. He chuckled softly then turned to finally head to his room, waving to Kaede on his way out. He paused at the knowing look she was giving him and he made a face; apparently the other occupant of the room hadn’t missed his reaction to Rin’s hug. He mouthed “I’m fine” and though she didn’t look like she believed him, nodded anyway and exited the room, his ears lowered. Half way across the living room, and safely out of hearing range, the half-demon released a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his silver hair, grimacing. Acting care-free and happy in front of Rin drained the last of his energy reserves and all he wanted to do was faceplant into his nice soft bed and allow his body to heal itself properly. As it was it felt like a chore climbing the stairs and although his stomach grumbled loudly in protest of its emptiness – he hadn’t eaten much at lunch since he was so worried about talking to Kagome – he couldn’t bring himself to backtrack to the kitchen to grab a snack. His stomach could wait, goddamnit.

He nearly moaned in relief when he entered his room because it meant his bed was that much closer. A bed, he realized, that was currently occupied by a dozing German Shepherd Husky mix. He snorted at his dog and Pepper lazily blinked. Shaking his head, Inuyasha kicked off his boots and shed his shirt, wrinkling his nose. Instead of coming home in a torn and bloody shirt, he’d changed into his gym shirt in order to avoid questions and while it stank like sweat, he figured he could endure it until he got home. His jeans, luckily, had escaped with minimal damage. He tossed the garment in the general direction of the pile of dirty clothes and took a step toward salvation, however something on his desk made him pause.

Inuyasha frowned and turned his head to get a better look at what caught his peripheral vision. He nearly whined. Dammit, now he was curious. Rolling his eyes at himself, he turned his body and trudged across his room to open the box that appeared to be from Amazon. Weird. He didn’t remember ordering anything…

He used a claw to slice open the tape and peeled the flaps back. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. 

“What the…”

“Truce?”

Inuyasha’s head whipped around to stare at the dog demon lounging in the door way, hands in the pockets of his slacks and an apology in his amber eyes.

“Sess…” Looking back down to the contents of the box, Inuyasha swallowed thickly and reached into it to pull out the most expensive item that was on his Amazon wish list. It was a drawing tablet, a very elaborate one where he could draw, paint, and sketch and even edit photographs after installing the appropriate software onto his computer. Of course that was just the basics; there was so much more he could do with this. Inuyasha hadn’t even really expected anyone to buy it for him; it was way too costly. But Sesshomaru… When it came to apologies, the elder dog demon was loathe to admit he was wrong and so as a result the word rarely left his lips, if at all. Oftentimes his brother would let his actions speak for him, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out this was one of those times.

Exhaling shakily, Inuyasha gently set the gift back into the box and turned to face his brother. “Truce,” he mumbled and Sesshomaru visibly relaxed.

Nodding, relieved that the tension between them was gone, the older brother finally turned his attention to another matter, one which had immediately caught his attention the moment he arrived at his brother’s room. He gestured to the hanyou’s bare chest and abdomen with a quirked brow and Inuyasha winced then sighed, thrusting a hand through his hair. He should have known Sesshomaru would ask, however he knew it was only out of concern so he didn’t complain.

“Kouga,” he said simply and Sesshomaru’s eyebrows rose. Inuyasha growled. “He…went after Kagome.” That was all he was willing to divulge but apparently it was enough because Sesshomaru’s expression cleared and he nodded in understanding. 

“Is she—”

“She’s fine,” he interrupted, dropping his gaze to the floor. “I…got there in time and beat his ass to a pulp. Nobody saw, it was just us three, so I’m not in trouble.”

Sesshomaru studied him for a moment, silent and Inuyasha tensed, but then he nodded and the half-demon relaxed. “Very well. I trust the wolf has learned his lesson?”

Inuyasha snorted. “He damn well better have.”

The elder dog demon resisted the urge to smile. He titled his head to the side slightly, amber eyes identical to his younger brother’s watching him carefully. “I would like to meet your Kagome,” he said and Inuyasha blinked in astonishment at him. This time he couldn’t stop his lips quirking up at the corners. He shrugged. “She is important to you, Inuyasha. As such she is always welcome here. I’m sure Rin would love to meet Uncle Yashie’s pretty friend as well.” With that, he turned and made to exit his younger brother’s room, pausing to say, “I’ll have Kaede bring up some dinner for you later, since I doubt you’ll have the energy to move.”

“Sesshomaru.”

He stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

Inuyasha hesitated and then locked gazes with him. “…Thanks.”

Sesshomaru’s expression softened and he inclined his head once, and then disappeared.

A small smile kicked up the corners of Inuyasha’s lips. Then, finally alone, he swiftly turned and headed toward his bed, uncaring if he disturbed his dog as he flopped down with a loud groan and instantly dozed off, exhausted.

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! Enjoy the chapter! :)

Her phone chirped from its place on her bed and Kagome ignored it, already knowing who it was from the special ringtone she’d set for that number and unable to look at the message’s contents. She’d gotten the first one half an hour ago and the second her eyes touched the screen, she’d shrieked, her face erupting into a scarlet flush and she hurled her phone across the room where it thudded against the wall and landed on her bed. That damn… _pervert_  was sending her rather lewd pictures of…certain areas and Kagome would rather not look at them, thankyouverymuch. Inuyasha wasn’t going to be very happy when he discovered the creep’s new form of harassment, that’s for sure.

And speaking of Inuyasha… Kagome sighed and rested her head in her hand, using her pencil to idly twirl a strand of dark hair around it as she glancing at the window for what seemed like the hundredth time. Since the two of them hadn’t gotten to have their discussion on the roof early today because of…unforeseen circumstances, Inuyasha had said he’d swing by later tonight and wouldn’t take no for an answer. So resigned, Kagome left her bedroom window unlocked and had been stealing glances at it all night long while finishing her homework, wondering when he was going to stop by. It was already quarter to nine and her father was getting ready for bed while Souta had passed out nearly an hour ago.

Heaving a sigh, Kagome dropped her pencil, giving up on math for the moment before reluctantly walking to her bed, sitting down while grabbing her phone and waking up the screen. Without looking at any of the texts from  _him_ , she started deleting them, a total of twelve with six of them having attachments. She shuddered. Amidst the messages from her unwanted admirer, however, was a text from Sango enthusiastically portraying her excitement for Saturday’s dance. She smiled, chuckling softly at all the exclamation points her friend had used but it quickly faded as she bit her bottom lip. She highly doubted her father would let her go to a dance of all things, and Kagome didn’t even know if she wanted to go in the first place. From what she’d heard they were loud, crowded and someone always spiked the punch bowl. At least at her old high school; Kagome doubted it was any different here.

She was thinking up excuses for why she couldn’t attend when a gentle tapping noise against glass caught her attention and she turned her gaze to find Inuyasha crouched outside her window. Kagome’s eyes widened and quickly she went over to her door and closed it gently before leaning back against it. In the time it had taken her to do that the half-demon had crawled inside and closed the window behind him.

“Hey,” he said and made himself comfortable on her bed. He took a moment to appreciate her nighttime attire; cottons shorts with a tank top and her hair was tied up in a messy pony tail, strands of silky raven hair framing her beautiful features. He suppressed a needy whine.

Kagome bit her lip. “Hi.” Her voice was barely above a whisper and Inuyasha could tell she was nervous, not only from her scent but from the way she wouldn’t look at his face and kept fidgeting where she stood.

He sighed. “C’mere.” Inuyasha waved her over and reluctantly Kagome obeyed, sitting on the other end of the bed. His ears lowered but he didn’t close the distance between them. He needed to clear the air first and  _then_  he’d drag her into his lap like he wanted to.

Releasing a heavy sigh and blowing out his cheeks, Inuyasha thrust a hand through his hair and frowned, trying to think where exactly he should start. He knew he couldn’t just forge ahead and blurt out everything on his brain.  He had to treat his delicately or risk losing his babydoll forever.

“Kagome…” he started and she peeked at him through her lashes. He wanted to smile at how cute she was but instead he grimaced. “I…I’m sorry.” Apologizing was always a good start.  “Nothing comes close to excusing what I did and I know that doesn’t change the fact that I hurt you, or that it even begins to express at how fucking stupid I was, but please, believe me Kagome, I want you to know that I’m so fucking sorry.” He stared at her with sorrowful golden eyes, his ears drooped low on his head and all Kagome wanted to do was take him in her arms and make him smile again. She forced herself to stay where she was and wrapped her arms around her knees to keep her from going to him.

Inuyasha shook his head, hands balled into tight fists on his thighs. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, I musta been damn near outta my mind to actually go through with it but dammit, I couldn’t hurt you, I  _refused_  to, and it seemed like I had no choice at the time. But I fucking hurt you anyway and it’s my fault, all my fucking fault that the stupid flea-bag went after you. If I had just controlled myself better—goddamnit!” Inuyasha smashed his fist into the mattress, the soft bedding absorbing the blow. Inuyasha gnashed his teeth together, his ears pinned flat against his ears now and a steady growl emitting from his chest.

But then just as suddenly his anger disappeared and he slumped against the wall, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, inhaling her soothing scent. Damn, but he wished he could take her in his arms. He risked a glance at his babydoll; her expressive brown eyes were wide in alarm and her mouth was parted slightly but she didn’t appear to be afraid or wary. For that he was grateful and he allowed himself to relax a little more, his eyes closing again. He supposed now he should explain why, even if he really didn’t want to.

“I want you, Kagome.”

…Well, tact had never been one of his stronger traits. He heard a gasp and just knew her face was red.  The corner of his mouth twitched.  “I want you, and that’s why I…did what I did.” He could practically smell the confusion coming off of her in waves so he forged on, digging his claws into the bedding beneath him, and taking a calming breath. “D-demon’s feel a helluva lot more strongly than humans do, babydoll.  That includes physical attraction.” He dared a glance at her; she was frowning, her face still a becoming pink, but she nodded to show she understood.  “I was…afraid that if I didn’t control myself somehow, or sate my…desires, I was gonna hurt you. So I…” He winced and dropped his gaze. “I…satisfied myself in another…female so my urges would be…less.” God, he sounded like a perverted asshole. This time he did whine and he directed pleading eyes Kagome’s way.  “But you gotta believe me babydoll, I didn’t wanna hurt you! I had no fucking choice because I knew if I was gonna be around you without doing something about it I’d do something that I’d regret for the rest of my pathetic life and you’d hate me and I couldn’t stand that, Kagome, I need you in my life, you’re so damn important to me and I—I just—please don’t hate me.” His voice was a whisper by the time he was done and the regret, the pain of what he’d done and the absolute misery was etched plainly on his face, clear as day to the young woman staring across the bed at him, her mouth parted in astonishment and her bright brown eyes staring in wide-eyed wonder.

Kagome was shocked, to say the least. Not only from his confession of wanting her – her heart beat still hadn’t returned to normal after hearing that – but from seeing him like this, so… Kagome couldn’t even describe it. It wasn’t hard at all to tell that he immensely regretted his decision and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would forgive him…eventually. She knew what all he said was true; Inuyasha would never lie to her and how she knew that she hadn’t a clue, just that Kagome knew it to be true. But as much as she wanted to fly across the bed and into his arms, she forced herself to stay where she was and studied him, swallowing the lump in her throat that was making it hard to breath and willing her racing heart to slow. She was going to forgive him, but be that as it may, Kagome wasn’t ready to forget everything so easily just yet. She was still hurting, and the image of him and that redheaded wolf demon was still seared into her brain. She now understood just what his motives were behind doing that, but that didn’t change the fact that he did and it had caused a rift in their relationship, one that would take time to mend.  

But even as she thought this, Kagome had to keep asking herself just why she was so hurt and upset. They weren’t even dating so why should it matter to her if he went off and screwed some other willing girl? Oh yeah.   _Because I like him_ , she told herself as a small, sad smile curled her lips upwards _. I like him and I don’t want him to be with other girls. And there’s nothing I can do about it._ She sighed and closed her eyes because staring at Inuyasha’s face like that was heartbreaking.  She needed to compose herself and she couldn’t do while looking at him.

Inuyasha stamped down the panic that wanted to rise up and take control the longer Kagome remained silent.  It had only been a few minutes since he’d said what he had to say so of course she was still processing everything but that didn’t stop him from worrying he’d scared her away. He bit his lip hard to stile the whimper that wanted to escape and dug his claws into his palms.  He just had to sit back and be patient while she thought things over and he would be, dammit. He didn’t want to mess this up more than he already had so he clenched his jaw and leaned back against the wall. He stared hard at her face, trying to read her expressions but she remained perfectly stoic save for the small frown on her brow, her eyes closed.

While going through her thoughts, trying to sort everything out, Kagome realized with a jolt and a soft gasp that he wasn’t exactly the only one at fault here.  Thinking back on it, Kagome really had no right to be upset for what he did, disregarding the not dating part, because hadn’t  _she_  done the same thing, only in a less dramatic way? Right after she had caught him in the act, she’d run to the first guy she saw, which happened to be Houjo and Kagome knew that the half-demon didn’t like the boy. He was a rival for her affections and it was apparent Inuyasha wanted all of those for himself – Kagome realized that now and not without a soft blush.  So in a way, they had betrayed each other because subconsciously Kagome wanted to hurt him back by having Houjo give her a ride home, knowing that Inuyasha had declared himself her ride to and from school. And then as an act of rebellion, she’d had Souta give him his jacket back because she couldn’t bear to face him the next morning and even after he’d tried explaining himself last night in her room, she’d refused to hear it, instead bidding him to leave.  So really, it was her fault as much as it was his that their relationship was so rocky right now.

Guilt instantly seized her and Kagome’s fingers flew up to press against her fingers and fought back the sobs that wanted to rip past her throat. God, she was a horrible person, wanting to hurt the boy she liked just because he was trying to protect her! Of course she hadn’t known that at the time, but that still didn’t excuse her from running to another boy.  _I…I feel like such a whore,_  Kagome mused and screwed her eyes shut tight, unwilling to believe that she could be anything of the sort. She was innocent; she was pure, because Inuyasha said she was. Right? And Inuyasha would never lie to her. Right?

So caught up in her thoughts, she wasn’t aware that Inuyasha had moved until something brushed against her cheek and her eyes flew open to find him kneeling right in front of her, concern written plainly across his face and his honey orbs glowing with something that was dangerously close to love. Kagome gasped, and then before she could think twice about it, she threw herself into his arms and latched on, vaguely hearing his grunt of surprise as he fell back onto the bed, his arms automatically rising to hold her against him. Kagome pressed her face into his chest and released the sobs that wanted out, clutching his shirt in her hands, her body shaking against his own.

“Kagome,” Inuyasha whispered and buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply and rubbing his hand against her back, rumbling in his chest, trying to calm her down. He hadn’t a clue what had brought this on, but he wasn’t complaining.  It felt unbelievably good to have her in his arms again, where she belonged, and damned if he was going to question it.

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Inuyasha scooted back against the wall again and gathered her into his lap, draping her legs across his thigh before wrapping his arms tightly around her and pressing her head to his chest, rumbling deeply and nuzzling her head. “S’okay,” he breathed, using a claw to free her hair from the tie that secured it and running his fingers through her ebony locks, willing her to stop crying. He hated it when she cried; her tears were his weakness.  “Don’t cry, baby. I’m here.”

Gradually Kagome began to calm down, her sobs dwindling to hiccoughs and her hands releasing their death grip on his shirt to swathe around his neck. She tucked her nose into the crook of his neck and heaved a tired sigh, closing her eyes and relishing in the warmth of Inuyasha against her.  It felt…right to be in his arms like this, so natural. Like it was where she was made to be.

They spent several minutes like that, Kagome cradled in Inuyasha’s lap and his hand soothingly running through her hair, that deep rumble in his chest relaxing all her tense muscles until she slumped tiredly against him, a content sigh escaping her lips. She never wanted to move—

There was a knock on her door.  “Kagome?”

Kagome gasped and jackknifed into an upright position. Thinking quickly, she scrambled out of his lap and off the bed and darted over to the door. Frantically she gestured to Inuyasha to come stand beside her door and it took him a few seconds to understand.  Silently he crept over to his hiding spot and Kagome scrubbed at her face, hoping it didn’t look like she’d been crying for the last few minutes before deeming herself presentable and opening her door, successfully hiding her half-demon visitor from view.  

Kai frowned down at his daughter in concern.  “Kagome, your face is flushed. Are you still not feeling well?” He gently pressed the back of his hand to her cheek.

 _Crap._  Kagome smiled up at her father and took her hand in both of hers, giving a reassuring squeeze. “No, Father, I’m fine. I was leaning out my window to get some fresh air and it was colder than I had realized.”

From his hiding spot, Inuyasha smirked.  _Nice save, babydoll._

He studied the girl for a moment then seemed to accept that and nodded, taking his hand and squeezing her shoulder. “I’m off to bed, then. Good night, Kagome.”  
  
“Good night, Father. Sleep well.”

Kagome waited until Kai had closed his bedroom door before closing her own and slumping against it in relief.  “That was close,” she muttered and Inuyasha chuckled, reaching out to tug her toward him and press a kiss to her forehead.

“I wasn’t worried.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and grinned.

Kagome snorted and rolled her eyes.

“I wanna meet your dad,” Inuyasha said suddenly and Kagome gaped at him.

“No,” she said, shaking her head vehemently and Inuyasha frowned.

“Why the hell not?” He paused. “You’re not…ashamed—”

“No!” Kagome said louder and then winced, hoping her father hadn’t heard that. “No, of course not, Inuyasha,” she continued in a softer tone. “It’s just…my father won’t understand, and—”

“What do you mean?” he interrupted. “You introduced him to Sango and he didn’t seem to care.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.

Kagome sighed and ran a hand through her hair.  “Because Sango’s a girl,” she remarked and his frown deepened.  She shook her head. “Father is…old fashioned, Inuyasha.  He believes boys are a distraction to me, taking time away from my studies and—”

“So what?” He cut her off again, his anger rising.  “You’re gonna keep our relationship a secret from him, sneaking me into your bedroom at night, hiding me and lying to his face about me? I refuse to be your dirty little secret, Kagome, sooner or later you’re gonna have to come clean about me because I won’t let you  _or_  him keep me from being with you.” Inuyasha scowled, defiance written clear on his features.

She groaned softly and quickly went to reassure him, “I know, I know, Inuyasha! I wasn’t—I don’t want to keep you a secret either, okay?” This seemed to appease him and he relaxed a bit, his countenance becoming inquisitive. “I want to introduce you to my father, but just…just not yet, okay?” she pleaded him, brown eyes wide. “I…I promise you’ll meet him someday, but in the meantime…can you try to be patient with me? This is…all of this is new for me and I don’t…know what to do.” She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself, dropping her gaze to the floor.

Inuyasha studied her for a moment then sighed, nodding reluctantly. “Fine. Fuckin’ A, first Hobo, then Naraku, then stupid Kouga, now your fucking  _dad_ , who else is gonna—”

It was that moment that her phone decided to give a distinct beep and Kagome flinched. It was still on her bed, sitting innocently on her pillow where she’d deposited before rushing to shut her door when Inuyasha had arrived.

Recognizing that ringtone, Inuyasha’s mood immediately darkened and he stomped over to snatch it up, swiping his finger across to wake the screen.  A second later his eyes widened and a truly thunderous growl reverberated throughout the room, a savage scowl twisting his features. Nope, as she’d predicted, he was not happy.

“How long.”

Kagome bit her lip. “It…started about an hour go. I haven’t looked at any since the f-first one, and I’ve since deleted them all.”

He nodded curtly. “Good.” Then without preamble he took out his own phone and recorded the number into his contacts. It was about time he got down to the bottom of this and find out who was behind these dirty messages being sent to his babydoll.  He’d send a text to the number during lunch tomorrow and see if the fucker Naraku brought out his phone to check it.

Kagome didn’t question him, just silently watched as he deleted the text and tossed the iPhone back to her bed. Then with a sigh and a shake of his head, he closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms and she melted against him, putting her arms around his waist and closing her eyes.  She couldn’t deny his touch anymore; she craved it too much.

“I’ll take care of it,” he promised her and she nodded, believing it with everything she had. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I don’t want to, but I should go. Sesshomaru still thinks I’m in bed healing, and I don’t wanna get you in trouble.”

Immediately Kagome leaned back and cast a worried glance at him and he shook his head. “I’m fine; most of the bruising is gone. Stomach is still a bit tender but I should be completely healed by morning.” He smiled reassuringly at her and she looked skeptic for a moment before finally nodding and giving a small smile of her own.

“See you in the morning, babydoll. Sweet dreams.” He kissed her temple then reluctantly headed back to the window.

“…Yash?”

He paused with one foot on the sill and looked over his shoulder at her.

Kagome worried her bottom lip and subconsciously wrapped her arms over her stomach. She already regretted what she was about to say, but she had to let him know. “I…can’t forgive you just yet.”

Inuyasha’s face instantly fell and she hurriedly tacked on, “Because I haven’t forgiven myself.”

He blinked and tilted his head to the side enquiringly.

Kagome shook her head. “I…can’t talk about it now. Just…give me a few days, okay? I promise it won’t be long.” She offered a tentative smile and after a few seconds of tense silence, Inuyasha nodded and aimed a sad smile of his own at her.

“Of course, babydoll. I’ll be waiting.” Then with that, the half-demon slipped out her window and disappeared into the darkness of the night.


	30. Chapter 30

Kagome sat down next to Inuyasha in the cafeteria, a guilty flush staining her cheeks. Houjo had tracked her down and started talking to her in the lunch line and Kagome couldn’t even look at him without feeling a rush of guilt so she’d muttered a hasty excuse about not being hungry and left the line and her lunch. Houjo had called out to her but she’d ignored him, even if she did feel bad about just ditching him like that. Her and Inuyasha’s relationship had barely started mending and if he caught her talking with Houjo no doubt it would just spiral down the drain again, so Kagome would rather be safe than sorry. Inuyasha’s friendship was much more important than Houjo’s.

Sighing, the raven-haired teenager made a face and eyed the half-demon’s turkey sandwich. Dammit, if only she’d remember to take her lunch with her…

“Oi, babydoll, where’s your lunch?”

Kagome blinked and shifted her gaze to Inuyasha. She blushed and smiled. “Oh, I wasn’t hungry,” she lied and hoped he would buy it.

He narrowed his eyes at her, skeptical but didn’t say anything. And that was when Kagome’s stomach decided to rumble quite loudly and her flush deepened. Inuyasha’s lips twitched and he rolled his eyes, taking a bite out of his sandwich before handing the rest over to her. Kagome giggled and gratefully took Inuyasha’s lunch, happily munching away.

Inuyasha chuckled and shook his head. While he did wonder why she hadn’t gotten anything when it was obvious she was hungry, he wasn’t going to question it, figuring she had a good reason. So with that he pulled out his phone and decided it was time to see who was behind the lewd texts being sent to his babydoll. 

Miroku shifted slightly and rested his elbow on the table with his head in his left hand, his face angled to the right, in which Naraku was situated at a table with his friends.  Miroku would be Inuyasha’s eyes since the half-demon didn’t want to seem too obvious; staring at the bastard with his phone in his hands would probably seem a bit suspicious if Naraku happened to glance his way.

“I see him. Go ahead,” he muttered and Inuyasha nodded before sending out a simple “hey” before immediately switching to Facebook and pretending to scroll.

Miroku’s violet eyes narrowed as he watched the black-haired student carefully, keeping his gaze on his hands to see if they reached for his pockets where his own mobile would most likely be. But after several minutes and the asshole still hadn’t pulled out phone, the violet-eye teen began to have his doubts.

“Anything?” Inuyasha asked softly and cast a side-long glance at his enemy.

Miroku shook his head, frowning. “No, I haven’t seen him take out a phone.  But…” He shifted his gaze to his hanyou friend. “He could be using a separate phone so nothing is tracked back to his private one.”

Inuyasha cursed and scowled, tucking his own mobile into his jean’s pocket. “Yeah, or he could be just ignoring it.”

“Or,” Miroku started, violet eyes serious.  “It’s not him at all.”

The half-demon swore again and thrust a hand through his silver hair, looking down at the girl beside him who was happily talking to Sango, oblivious to his plight. And Inuyasha was going to keep it that way. If he told Kagome that it might not be Naraku who was sending her those messages after all, that meant they automatically had to assume that it could be anybody in this goddam school and that meant she had to be wary of anybody she came into contact with, people she talked to, her classmates. She’d become paranoid, scared, and Inuyasha couldn’t allow that. He’d sworn to protect her, even if that meant from emotional pain.

Releasing a sigh, he turned his gaze to Miroku. “We can’t tell her,” he said, softly enough so she couldn’t hear. “If we did—”

“—then she’d be looking at everybody twice,” Miroku finished gravely and sat back with a sigh. “Agreed. Shit, if it’s not him, then—”

“I have no fucking idea,” Inuyasha said with a frown, glaring down at the table. “Tell Sango, though. She’s in biology with Kagome; she can keep an eye out for anybody who might be acting strange, or staring at her too long or–something.”

Miroku nodded in agreement and fell silent, staring down at the table with a thoughtful frown. Inuyasha heaved another sigh and turned his gaze to his babydoll and she must have sensed him looking at her because she paused in her conversation with Sango and turned her attention to him with a smile. He smiled back and reached out to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear. She blushed and he chuckled.

If it wasn’t Naraku sending her those messages, then who the fuck could it be?

**-X-**

The rest of the week flew by, in which it consisted mostly of avoiding Houjo and ignoring Kouga whenever she saw him – it was extremely difficult to do that in math and gym – and before she knew it Kagome was walking out of math class Friday afternoon and as per usual Inuyasha was leaning against her locker, hands in his pockets, a bored expression on his face. The moment he saw her, though, his ears perked right up and he grinned, eliciting a smile of her own to light up her face.

“Babydoll,” he greeted happily and swopped down to kiss her forehead just to see her blush, which of course she did beautifully.

She swatted his chest. “Stop it, you,” she murmured and he snickered. Rolling her eyes, she shooed him out of the way so she could open her locker and tuck away the necessary books into her messenger bag. She had three tests next week, one of them in math, and her assignments consisted of studying and more studying.  She made a face.

Closing the door and locking it, she swung her bag onto her shoulder but only for it to be stolen by her half-demon companion, who shouldered it himself. She sent him a grateful smile since carrying three heavy books wasn’t easy on her slim frame.

Swinging his free arm around her shoulders, the two followed the swarm of people down the stairs and out the front doors where he led her to his truck. Kagome glanced around with a frown.

“Where are Miroku and Sango? Aren’t we going to Sango’s to hang out?” Their friends weren’t hanging around his Ford like usual.

His ear flicked. “Sango’s staying in the library to study and of course Miroku is wherever she is, so…” He shrugged and opened the passenger door for her.

Kagome blinked. “Oh. Well, she could have told me since we’re taking the same test,” she murmured with a frown. “I could have studied with her.” Actually, hadn’t they already decided to study together for that test when Inuyasha had driven her home the first time…?

Inuyasha only shrugged again and helped her up before shutting the door for her and jogging round to the driver’s side, hopping in and revving up before exiting the parking lot.

“Where…are we going?” Kagome asked five minutes later when she finally noticed they weren’t headed in the direction of her house. She glanced at him curiously.

“My house,” he answered easily and her eyes widened.

“But—”

“It’s okay, babydoll. You can just text your dad and say you’re over at Sango’s again so he won’t think anything of it and Sess won’t care. He told me he wants to meet you anyway. And besides,” he muttered softly, face sour. “I’m kinda grounded.”

Kagome flushed and gaped at him, not hearing that last part or deciding to ignore it. “He-he does?!” she squeaked and suddenly felt very self-conscious.  She smoothed down her skirt and sweater, patting down her hair and prayed that she didn’t have anything stuck in her teeth.

Inuyasha laughed and reached over to tug at her hair affectionately. “Relax, babydoll. You look beautiful.” He smiled at her then turned his gaze back to the road, lowering his hand to grab hers and bring it to his lips to press a tender kiss to the back.

Her flush deepened and she worried her bottom lip. “O-okay,” she whispered and smiled tentatively. She doubted she looked beautiful in her plain skirt and sweater, but if Inuyasha thought she looked okay, then she would trust him. Using her other hand to pull out her phone, she sent a quick text to her father saying she’d be at Sango’s – a slash of guilt stabbed from lying to him – then tucked it away once more.

The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence and the closer they got to Inuyasha’s house, the more nervous Kagome became.  By the time he’d parked next to Sesshomaru’s black BMW, she was a bundle of nerves, twisting her hands anxiously in her lap, biting down on her lip and a frown marring her beautiful features.

Inuyasha’s ears went back and he frowned slightly, reaching over to tug her lip out her teeth’s grasp and gently run his thumb over the tender flesh. Kagome gasped and stared wide-eyed at him, heat suffusing her cheeks. “You’ll be fine, baby,” he said reassuringly and had to refrain from replacing his thumb with his mouth. “There’s nothing to be nervous about.” He suddenly smiled and trailed his claws across her cheek to slide his fingers into her hair.  

Staring into his amber eyes, feeling his fingers run through her hair and taking a deep breath, Kagome slowly started to relax and finally smiled at him, nodding. “…Okay. Thanks,” she whispered and he rumbled in his chest, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

They both got out, Kagome leaving her bag in his truck, and as she stood there gawking at his freakin’ mansion, he took her hand, lacing their fingers together and led her up the stone steps and into his home.

The second the door clicked closed behind them, enthusiastic barking met their ears and Kagome watched in amusement as a large but beautiful dog came skidding into the foyer, headed straight for Inuyasha and she couldn’t hold back the smile as the dog jumped up and started bathing Inuyasha’s face with happy welcome-home kisses.

“Ack! Okay, Pepper, down girl,” Inuyasha laughed and the mixed breed obeyed…for about a second because she discovered a new scent and was eagerly sniffing at Kagome, nudging her hand and apparently deeming her safe because she started licking it and wagging her tail ferociously.

Kagome giggled and knelt down to get a proper greeting. Pepper was instantly in her face and covering her with kisses.

Inuyasha smiled as he watched two of the four girls he cherished the most. “That’s Pepper,” he said. “She’s half German Shepherd and half Husky.”  
  
“She’s beautiful,” Kagome commented, smiling and scratching the friendly canine behind her ears. Pepper eagerly pushed her head into her hands.

 _You both are,_  Inuyasha thought as his ears flicked, picking up the sound of tiny feet thudding across the floor toward them. “And  _this_ ,” he said as turned and swooped down just in time to catch his niece around her tiny waist and heft her into his arms, “is my niece Rin. Sweetheart, this is Kagome. Remember I told you about her?” The little girl beamed and kissed his cheek before turning her wide-eyed and curious gaze to Kagome, who straightened and smiled warmly.

“Hello, Rin,” Kagome said.

Rin stared. “Uncle Yashie, you were right. She  _is_  pretty,” she breathed and Kagome blushed but kept her smile, slanting a glance the hanyou’s way.

Inuyasha grinned. “Told you,” he said with a wink directed her way. Rin giggled.

“Uncle Yashie talks about you all the time,” the eight year old announced and this time it was Inuyasha’s turn to blush. “He thinks you’re beautiful and he really likes you and he drew a picture of—”

“So this is where you ran off to, Rin,” a deep voice remarked and three pairs of eyes swiveled to stare at the newcomer, donned in a plan white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and tan slacks.

Rin squealed. “Papa!” She squirmed to get down and her uncle obliged, watching in amusement as she zoomed across the hardwood to leap into her father’s arms. He caught her easily and propped her against his hip. She gave him a wet kiss on the cheek and he didn’t wipe it off, turning golden eyes identical to his brother’s the couple’s way. He watched in amusement as his brother wrapped an arm around the girl’s waist, tugging her into her side.

Unconsciously Kagome straightened, realizing that this was Inuyasha’s brother, Sesshomaru. She cleared her throat and bowed respectfully. “It’s—it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Yamaguchi.”

A hint of a smile played at the older demon’s lips. The girl was polite. Admirable. “You must be Kagome.” He closed the distance between them and halted before them.  He tilted his head as the human girl lifted hers and regarded him silently, a tad nervous. He nodded once. “Welcome to my home. Call me Sesshomaru – Mr. Yamaguchi was our father. I must say, Kagome,” he said. “It’s nice to finally meet you. My daughter is correct in what she says – my idiot brother does nothing but talk of you.”

Inuyasha growled. “Shut up, Sess.” Pink suffused his cheeks and Sesshomaru suppressed a smirk.  Long has it been that he was able to make his younger brother blush.

“O-oh,” Kagome squeaked and ducked her head, the never-ending blush on her face reddening even further.

Hn. Modest. Also commendable. This time he did smile, the slightest upward curve of his lips.  He slid his gaze to Inuyasha, “I’ll be in my office,” then back to Kagome. “You may stay for however long you desire.” Then with one final nod, Sesshomaru turned on his heel and headed toward his office, Rin smiling and waving at them from over his shoulder.

Kagome, still blushing, smiled and waved back.  “Rin’s adorable,” she commented and then blinked. “You and mister – um, Sesshomaru look so much alike.”

He shrugged and draped is arms loosely around her waist, locking his hands at the small of her back. “We look like our dad. I look like my mother on—” He cut himself off, snapping his mouth shut.

She blinked at him. “On what?”

Inuyasha winced. “Nevermind. That’s for…another day.” His eyes pleaded with her to drop it for now and reluctantly she did, nodding her head then flicking her gaze up to his ears. She smiled softly and reached up to gently take one between her fingers.

“There is one notable difference, though,” she said softly, rubbing the soft appendage and giggling when it flicked against her palm.  “But it’s a good one.”

Inuyasha closed his eyes and shuddered, a deep rumble emitting from his chest. “Baby,” he said huskily, his breathing a little heavier than normal. “You know what that does to me.”

Kagome blinked at him in confusion, a small frown marring her features before her eyes cleared in recollection and she yanked her hand away, an embarrassed flush overtaking her face. “Sorry,” she squeaked and stared at her feet.

Inhaling deeply, calming his raging hormones, a soft chuckle escaped him and he took her hand, tugging gently. “C’mon.” He led her across the floor into the other room and then up the wide and winding staircase.

“Your house is huge, Yash,” Kagome said in awe, looking around, her brown eyes taking in the expensive decorations, the plush carpeting and she managed to catch a glimpse of a massive chandelier in what she believed to the dining room before going upstairs.

Inuyasha shrugged. “Keh. My family’s rich, but I don’t like to broadcast it.” She followed him down a wide hallway – or bridge? – that overlooked the living room that led into a sort of lounge with windows for walls, allowing in plenty of sunlight for reading, bookcases, a fireplace, plush sofas and chairs and…a vending machine? Then a little beyond that Inuyasha finally stopped at a set of double doors and opening them with a flourish. He grinned at her.

“My room,” he proudly announced and ushered her inside.

Kagome gaped.

Bright sunlight was spilling in from the beautiful bay window that was directly across from the doorway, equipped with a cushioned bench underneath it, illuminating Inuyasha’s bedroom in all its glory.  His personal quarters were huge, much bigger than her own but still smaller than her entire apartment. Inuyasha’s bed, which looked to be a queen and the covers askew, was to her left and the headboard was pushed against the wall. The floor, which was surprisingly free of debris and clothing, was polished hardwood with a large, plush looking oriental rug in the center. Bookshelves that lined his walls were filled with movies, games, figurines, books, pictures and miscellaneous objects that Inuyasha had probably treasured at one point in his life. A desk with an expensive looking computer was to her left, a flat TV screen mounted above that.  In the middle of the floor, several comfortable looking beanbags were situated around a coffee table, various gaming systems were underneath it and controllers, empty soda cans, game cases and magazines littered the surface.  

“Yash,” Kagome breathed in amazement, looking around in wide-eyed wonder. “This is…you…how…” She paused. “Is that a refrigerator?” She watched him pull out a canned soda from of a medium sized refrigerator with a microwave sitting on top of it. She blinked. This room had everything.

Inuyasha only smirked and handed her a Diet Pepsi. “Keh.” He looked incredibly smug and she rolled her eyes but smiled, popping open her beverage and taking a sip. “Feel free to look around. I gotta go talk to Sess.” He kissed her forehead and left so Kagome took his advice and started exploring.

She started with his desk and was surprised to find various car magazines stacked in the corner. She set her soda down and idly flipped through one, recognizing it was one that Souta kept hidden in his room. “I didn’t know he liked cars,” she murmured to herself and set it back. Her eyes landed on an expensive looking tablet sitting in front of his computer and carefully she picked it up, gliding her finger tips across the smooth, flawless screen. It looked brand new and according to the Amazon box with the tablet’s original boxing she spotted sitting on the floor, it was. She tilted her head, studying it and wondering what it was used for – it didn’t look like one of those internet ones like an iPad or Kindle.  She’d have to ask about it later. Kagome set it down in its respectful place and out of curiosity she opened the top drawer. A leather bound book lay neatly on top and she couldn’t  _not_  look into it. Besides, Inuyasha  _had_  said feel free to explore…

Shrugging, she retrieved it, shut the drawer, wandered over to his bed and made herself comfortable in the middle. Eagerly she flipped the book open to the first page; his name and address and scrawled across the page in case it was ever misplaced or lost.  Kagome took a moment to trace the characters of his name before turning the page and instantly she knew what she had discovered.

“Sketch book,” she murmured with a smile, remembering that he had mentioned he liked to draw what seemed like forever ago in her room. Excited, she flipped through the pages, marveling at his talent. There were sketches of cars, Miroku and Sango, Rin, Pepper, even Sesshomaru and characters that she had never seen before. She surmised they were made up or from movies. Each drawing was progressively better than the next and it was interesting to see how much Inuyasha had honed his skills over the years.  _Such an imagination_ , she thought, eagerly turning the page, impatient to take in more of his amazing talent.

A portrait of a girl met her eyes and a name came to her even before she read it scrawled in the top left corner. “Kikyou.” Kagome blinked. The picture was stunning, so lifelike, as if she were staring at a photograph instead of a drawing. She was smiling, a soft, small curvature of her lips and her eyes were shaded in a way to make it look like they were shining brightly, reflecting the sun’s warm rays. Her dark hair was caught in perpetual movement, flowing around her as if she’d just turned swiftly and her beautiful mane hadn’t caught up yet. Her skin was flawless, the apples of her cheeks shaded lightly in a blush and her nose was small and perfect and to complete the look, the only thing that had been colored, a single bellflower was tucked behind her ear.

Lightly Kagome trailed her fingers across the page, suddenly wishing that he would draw her like this – beautiful, soft, lively. A sad smile touched her lips.  _He must have loved her so much,_  she mused, her chest feeling tight all of a sudden. Shaking her head, forcing those thoughts away to some corner of her brain, Kagome’s eyes lingered for a moment more on the face of Inuyasha’s ex before turning the page, only to be met with another portrait of a woman, this one older but nonetheless just a stunning as Kikyou.

 _Mother_ , the text at the top read and Kagome’s brown eyes rounded slightly.  _This…is Inuyasha’s mother. She’s gorgeous_. She could definitely see Inuyasha in her delicate features and he’d managed to catch so many emotions in her smiling eyes; love, patience, humor, and a soft sort of fierceness, a determination that Kagome figured all mothers harbored. Her own mother’s face entered her mind’s eye and she had to fight back the tears that wanted to rise up. She blinked rapidly, shaking her head. Now was not the time for that.  

She went back to studying the drawing before her, admiring her soft beauty before somehow managing to tear her eyes away and turn the page.  The same smiling eyes greeted her again and she smiled. This time he’d captured her sitting on a swinging bench in what looked like a gazebo of sorts; the walls were only halfway finished and the window behind her suggested she was outside. The next few pages consisted of his mother in various poses, all of them gracefully beautiful, and in one of them he’d drawn her a companion; he was tall, very handsome, his long hair in a ponytail and Kagome instantly knew who he was, even though she’d never seen him before in her life.  _His father. He was right; they definitely get their looks from him._ They had their arms wrapped around each other and they were laughing, gazes locked and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were very much in love.

Kagome hoped someday that she would find the kind of love shared between Inuyasha’s parents. It was obvious they were crazy for each other just from this one picture; one didn’t have to know even an iota of information about them to glean that particular factoid.

She sighed dreamily and stared at the picture for several minutes, a wistful smile gracing her features as she lovingly brushed her fingers across the picture. So lost in her thoughts she hadn’t realized her half-demon host had returned, missing the way the bed dipped under his weight. When familiar arms circled her waist and pulled her back against a hard chest, however, his legs stretching out on either side of her, she snapped back to reality and jumped slightly as a blush stole across her cheeks.

“Yash—”

“My parents,” he mumbled, resting his chin on her shoulder as he gazed down at his sketchbook. A light frown marred his forehead and unconsciously Kagome reached up to smooth her fingers over his skin. He smiled and kissed her palm.

Kagome returned his smile, grateful he didn’t seem to be angry she was snooping, and turned back to the book in her lap. “Yash, these are amazing. I had no idea you were so talented,” she praised, unwilling to tear her eyes away from the image of his embracing parents. “Your parents…were beautiful.” She paused and cocked her head. “Like you.”

Inuyasha flushed and buried his nose in her neck. “Keh.” He nuzzled her flesh and grinned when her breath hitched in her throat. “…Turn the page, babydoll.” It was whispered against her skin and she shuddered, goosebumps erupting on her arms.

Trying to ignore the feeling of his warm breath against her skin, Kagome swallowed and obligingly turned the page – only to gasp and stare with wide, coffee colored orbs at the image that greeted her.

It was…her.


	31. Chapter 31

With a shaky hand, Kagome slowly picked up the piece of printer paper with her face on it, trembling fingers gingerly tracing the carefully drawn lines of her eyes, down the straight ridge of her nose and brushing against the detailed contours of her smiling mouth. She couldn’t believe…was this really her? It couldn’t be, and yet, the letters of her name elegantly written at the top of the page suggested that it indeed was. Shaking her head in astonishment, Kagome took in everything with wide brown eyes filled with awe, to the lush, perfectly shaded black hair to the slender column of her neck that gently sloped down to thin shoulders. He’d even managed to catch the expressiveness of her eyes, hinting at an emotion that Kagome was afraid was becoming more and more evident the more time she spent with him.

Without warning tears sprang to her eyes and she sucked in a breath, raising a hand to flutter her fingers at her lips, speechless. “I…Yash…this is…”

“Do you see now?” he rumbled. She could feel the vibrations against her back. “ _This_ …is how I see you, babydoll.” He pressed his lips to her cheek, his arms tightening around her waist, pulling her closer to him.  “Now will you believe me when I say you’re beautiful?”

Numbly Kagome nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from the perfect likeness of herself. She cleared her throat. “When…” She trailed off as she spotted the date at the bottom corner and she blinked as her mouth parted in surprise. “You drew this on the day…”

“…I first met you,” he finished softly with a smile. “You’ve captivated me since day one, Kagome.” Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes, inhaling her scent, nuzzling her jaw. “I’ve went back since then and made a few changes, made some of the lines and shading darker, but what you see right there is what I saw the first day I met you.  And I _still_ see it.” He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her neck and relished in the shiver he felt traveling through her small frame but when she tensed against him, that was when he remembered he’d silently promised to stop advancing on her like this and forced himself to lean back, gritting his teeth.

Kagome hadn’t been able to suppress the shudder that racked through her at the feeling of Inuyasha’s warm lips on her skin but at the same time her body had involuntarily stiffened, unused to the sensation of someone so intimately close to her. Thankfully he had backed off a second later and she’d relaxed, however a flash of guilt briefly swept through her.  Kagome wasn’t stupid; there had been a notable difference in the half-demon’s behavior concerning her. He wasn’t crowding her anymore and his casual touches had dwindled down in number as well. While Kagome appreciated his thoughtfulness, part of her craved the attention he was giving her and as a result half the time she was torn between leaning into him and pulling away. However most of the time her body made the decision for her – get away _now_ – before she could even think about it and she often cursed her innocence.

Shaking her head, shoving those thoughts into some dark, unused corner of her brain, Kagome took a deep breath and carefully tucked the sheet of paper with her portrait on it back into his sketchbook, closing it and trailing her fingers across the leather cover. Then she turned around in his arms so she was kneeling between his bent knees, her hands resting in her lap. Inuyasha sat back against the headboard and regarded her with warm amber orbs, head tilted to the side.

Without her permission her cheeks heated under his gaze and she worried her bottom lip. Instantly his finger was there, tugging the tender flesh out from under her teeth. “Stop that,” he murmured, rubbing the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip. Then satisfied he got his point across, he sat back again, a hint of a smile playing at his lips.

She pouted slightly, eliciting a chuckle from the half-demon, then she gave a tentative smile, ducking her gaze and idly playing with the hem of his T-shirt. “Thank you,” she said softly, sincerely and he blinked.

“For what?”

Kagome shrugged, shaking her head. “I don’t know.” She chuckled. “I just felt the need to say it.” Then she lifted her head and Inuyasha’s heart nearly stopped at the warm gratitude he found in her mocha-colored pools, her cheeks tinting a soft pink. Swallowing thickly, he returned her smile, lifting a hand to brush his claws against her cheek.  Amazingly her flush didn’t get any darker and her smile only widened.

“You’re welcome, babydoll.”

They stared at each other for a moment or two and then suddenly Kagome became hesitant, her brow furrowing and several times it looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it and closed her mouth, averting her gaze.

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, interested. “What is it, Kagome?”

Kagome sighed, cursing his perceptiveness. Well, she _was_ curious… “I…saw the picture of Kikyou,” she started softly, flicking her gaze to his face.  Inuyasha had stiffened at the sound of her name and turned his head to the side, his expression grim.  She winced; that wasn’t a very encouraging response. Nevertheless, she forged on, determined. “Can…can you tell me what happened? Between you two?” Silence greeted her and she swallowed. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Just…I was wondering, is all.” Kagome dropped her gaze again and idly toyed with a pleat of her skirt, unconsciously biting down on her lip again.

Silence reigned supreme for the next few seconds then suddenly Inuyasha sighed heavily and she was being turned around and tugged back against his chest, his knees on either side of her once again. Muscled arms locked around her waist and his breath wafted against the back of her neck. Kagome blinked at the position she was suddenly in but didn’t pull away; instead she scooted down a little further and draped her arms over his own and he took the opportunity to drop his chin onto her head.  She smiled and squeezed his hand reassuringly, waiting patiently for him to speak.  She didn’t have to wait long.

“It’s not some big tragic story or some kind of hidden secret or anything like that. Actually I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole school knows. Things just…ended on a bad note and it was never really resolved.” She felt him shrug behind her. “I met Kikyou my freshman year and we dated on and off for three years afterward. Our relationship was pretty normal as far as dating goes. We fought, broke up, made up, got back together, yada, yada. Kikyou was my…my first love and I really thought I’d end up marrying her someday.” Inuyasha paused, gathering his thoughts. “Three months was actually the longest time we managed to stay together without fighting…and it was also the last time we’d be a couple.” He sighed and shook his head. “About two and a half, maybe three months ago, a few weeks into the new school year, things were going great.  Me and Kikyou hadn’t fought all summer and I was beginning to think we’d actually make it to the end of the semester without breaking up once. And we probably _would_ have…if it hadn’t been for fucking Matsuno.”

Kagome didn’t have to look back to know he was scowling. “You mean…K-Kouga?” She winced, a shudder crawling along her spine like icy fingers. She didn’t think she would ever forget the bruising force of his mouth against hers and the rough hand as it was shoved into her skirt…

Inuyasha growled soothingly, sensing her upset. He kissed her head.  “Yeah. He was a new student that year and the fucker walked around like his shit didn’t stink, like he owned the whole goddamn school. Hell, he probably _did_ at his old one. And like flies to fucking honey, everybody flocked to him, wanting to be friends, sucking up, fawning all over him and basically making fools of themselves.  And unfortunately…Kikyou was one of them. Because of this, the jealous asshole that I am, I instantly hated wolf-shit and told him to back off from my girl. He laughed at me and said it wasn’t his fault she wanted ‘the whole bone instead of half.’ I remember getting pissed and would have punched him in his smug mug if Kikyou didn’t stop me. She pleaded with me to just walk away and I did, because I couldn’t bear to make her upset.”

Here he paused and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent and calming his nerves. Just remembering what had happened was making his blood boil. After a few moments in which Kagome patiently waited, he continued.  “I should have known it wouldn’t last. After that, things started to go downhill. Kikyou started hanging out with Kouga more and less with me. She’d cancel our dates, make excuses, and sometimes flat out ditch me to see the flea-bag. She wouldn’t say that’s who she was seeing, but I knew it was him without having to ask. It was just too convenient. I’m not the fucking stupid half-breed people think I am and apparently Kikyou thought that I was, too, because the excuses she made up were downright ridiculous sometimes and that…that hurt more than her seeing him did.” He swallowed hard and tightened his hold on her. “Anyway. I tolerated it for as long as I could. Every time I brought it up that she was hanging around Kouga a lot, she’d guilt trip me and go on about how she barely got to see her friends enough as it is because I always wanted to be with her, I can be friends with who I want to, just because I hated the wolf didn’t mean she had to and shit like that. I got sick of it after a while and called her out on it, accusing her of cheating on me with the wolf and that…that was the biggest fight we’d ever had. She threatened to break up with me and like a pussy I gave in, apologizing over and over, practically begging her to stay with me because it was the longest time we’d been together; I didn’t want to lose her because I was being a jealous bastard.”

He sighed and chuckled humorlessly.  “Miroku and Sango kept telling me that I was whipped and she had me wrapped round her finger. I denied it, of course, saying that I loved her too much to have another guy threaten our relationship, that’s all.” He frowned and grabbed one of Kagome’s hands, playing with her fingers. She smiled and used her other hand to squeeze his knee.  “It turns out they were right. I was so blinded by what I thought was my love for her that I didn’t see what was right in front of me. She had me on a fucking leash and I didn’t even know it.” He made a face. “A few days after that fight, there was another new student…” Inuyasha paused and took a deep breath. “…Ayame Kakazu.”

Kagome flinched and bowed her head.

Wincing, the half-demon forced himself to continue.  “Uh…a day or two after she arrived, Ayame by then had already captured the interest of Kouga and he started backing off of Kikyou to the point where I thought things would go back to normal. Well… _because_ of that, Kikyou grew spiteful toward Ayame because he was taking her ‘best friend’ – that’s what she called him, anyway – away from her.  During lunch one day, Ayame walked by our table wearing a cheerleading uniform.  I kinda did one of those classic double takes because earlier that day she was wearing her regular street clothes and I was staring at her, wondering how she’d gotten on the team so fast; I wasn’t checking her out.” He sighed. “Kikyou thought I was and made a huge scene in the cafeteria; I’ll spare you the details.” She didn’t need to know some of the names his ex had called him _and_ the female wolf demon. “Anyway, I tried to tell her I wasn’t checking her out but she was hysterical. She wouldn’t believe a word I said and started throwing shit around, anything she could get her hands on; her lunch, my lunch, chairs, books…you get the idea. By then we were pretty much screaming at each other and we attracted the attention of Kag—er, Ms. Oogami. She ordered us to her office and suspended each of us for a week. I learned later that Kouga and Ayame were called to her office to explain their side of the story. They lied to save their own asses and had people on their side to verify for them.”

Inuyasha paused again and was silent for so long Kagome thought that was the end of it. Just when she was about to open her mouth, his soft voice reached her ears and the sorrow in his voice made her want to turn around and take him into her arms. “We didn’t talk that whole week. And when we went back, it was like…the whole debacle had just vanished into thin air, like it never fucking happened. Kikyou ignored Ayame, I avoided Kouga, he avoided me, he and Ayame started dating and we…Kikyou and I, it was never said but we unofficially broke up, for the final time. That day…when she came up to me at lunch…was the first time she’d spoken to me since the shit hit the fan.  I don’t know why she did, but I couldn’t bring myself to be rude or ignore her.” He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat that was making it hard to breathe. “D-during the next two months after that, it seemed like my whole life was falling apart. I lost s-someone else…very important to me, I started getting into random fights, and I didn’t think things could possibly get any worse.” He closed his eyes and shuddered, regaining his bearings, and then a small but genuine smile graced his lips.  He pressed his lips to her temple. “And then, just when it seemed that everything was going down the drain…you showed up and made everything better.” His grip on her grew impossibly tight and the salty scent of tears reached his nose. It was as if her tears triggered something because Inuyasha felt a peculiar prickling sensation behind his own eyes and he blinked rapidly.

“Kagome—”

Said girl shook her head rapidly, forestalling thing else he was going to say and turned in his arms, rising up onto her knees. Inuyasha’s amber eyes widened; tears were steadily flowing down her cheeks, her beautiful cinnamon orbs liquid and shining so brightly at him. A choked sob bubbled past her lips and then she was hugging him, clinging to him, her arms locked around his neck and her face buried in his shoulder.  Her lithe frame shook with her sobs and all Inuyasha could do was wrap his arms tightly around her, pressing her to his chest, to his heart. He hadn’t expected her to react so strongly to the story between him and Kikyou and it touched him.

He supposed that’s why it made her so damn special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. HATE. THIS. CHAPTER. OH MY GOD.
> 
> This chapter was a bitch to write. And I apologize how lengthy and bulky the story between Inuyasha and Kikyou is. Honestly I was making it up as I went so if it’s hard to understand, or it gets repetitive or something, please don’t be afraid to tell me and I’ll do my best to revise or change it around. I just kept tacking things on, like “OMG that’s perfect!” and “Ooohhh there’s a nice twist!” and it got away with me before I knew it.


	32. Chapter 32

“You know, I was originally gonna frame it,” Inuyasha said suddenly and Kagome paused in her admiration of her portrait. After she had calmed down and her sobs reduced to sniffles, a very red faced Kagome had abruptly turned back around and decided to admire her half-demon friend’s talent once more, snuggling back against his chest, smiling when his arms settled around her waist again.

“What?” she asked, even though she had heard him quite clearly.

He shrugged and played with a strand of her hair. “I gotta admit it’s one of my better pieces. I wanted to give it to you as a gift. After you felt more comfortable around me, of course. You’d probably freak out if a guy you barely knew drew your face and gave it to you the next day.” Inuyasha chuckled and squeezed her gently.

Kagome snickered. “Probably,” she agreed, brushing her finger tips across the drawing for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

“You can have it, if you want,” he continued, resting his chin on her shoulder, golden eyes joining her in admiring his work. A smile quirked his lips.  

Immediately Kagome shook her head. “No, I—I can’t take this. It’s far too precious and something would probably happen to it if I were to take it.” She paused and turned her head slightly to meet his gaze. “I want you to keep it so I know it’ll be taken care of.” She smiled at him.

Inuyasha sighed and nuzzled her cheek. “As you wish,” he mumbled, a content rumble developing in his chest. He decided right then that he loved cuddling with Kagome, never having been so relaxed before with her scent teasing his senses, the warm weight of her slim body pressed against his, and the knowledge that she trusted him.

A comfortable silence enveloped them and so comfortable was the half-demon that he’d begun to doze off, his nose tucked into the crook of her neck and shoulder and oblivious to Kagome’s sudden change in expression.

Brows furrowed, biting down at her lip and casting furtive glances at the half-demon behind her, Kagome toyed with the edges of the sketchbook’s pages, wanting to flip to a certain drawing she’d seen earlier but hesitant. Half of her knew it was a completely preposterous notion to even think about, telling herself that Inuyasha wasn’t like that, but the other half, the more insecure part wouldn’t stop nagging her about it until she couldn’t take it anymore and just _had_ to know the answer.  So with a deep breath, Kagome turned a few pages back and stopped at a page titled with the letters K.H. ***** at the top. Kagome was once again struck with how beautiful she looked and was startled to realize that she actually felt jealous, which was ridiculous. They weren’t even together anymore; she had no reason to be jealous!

Shaking her head, Kagome grimaced and shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind to ponder at a later time. “Um…Yash?” she asked quietly, her body tensing.

“Mmm.” Inuyasha hummed and shifted behind her, pulling her more securely against him. A small frown marred his features though. Why was she suddenly so tense? His ears flicked and his eyes fluttered back open and idly he wondered when he’d closed them.  Twin pools of golden yellow studied her face for a moment before following her gaze to her lap and instantly he stiffened at what he saw.

Kagome winced and chewed on her bottom lip. She’d felt him stiffen behind her and his hands tensed against her stomach. Regardless, she forged on, needing to know. “Um…I…was wondering…”

“No.”

Kagome’s back straightened. “N…no?”

Withdrawing his arms from around her Inuyasha leaned back and stared at the back of her head, balling his hands into tight fists. He knew what she was going to ask, of course, and it pissed him off that she would even think he was like that.

His jaw tightened. “No,” he repeated and he reached around her to tuck his hand under the cover and slam the book closed before scooping it up and setting it on the nightstand.  Kagome jumped slightly and shrunk in on herself. Obviously she upset him and felt horrible now for asking such a stupid question. Honestly, what was she thinking? Of course Inuyasha wasn’t like that!

“What the _fuck_ , Kagome,” he snapped and she flinched, hunching her shoulders. “How could you—what made you even— _dammit_ ,” he cursed and thrust a hand through his hair, scowling darkly but not at her. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, not wanting to scare his babydoll – she had to know by now his temper was legendary – Inuyasha closed his eyes and concentrated on her scent, allowing it to soothe his agitated nerves and relax his tensed muscles. He sighed raggedly and opened his eyes to stare at the back of her head. She was still trying to make herself as small as possible and he could practically smell the regret coming off of her in waves so in an effort to soothe her he reached forward with a clawed hand and gently ran his fingers through her ebony hair.  After a moment or two Kagome slowly relaxed and he seized the opportunity to grasp her hips and maneuver her until she was facing him, straightening his legs out in the process and positioning her so she was straddling his lap.

Kagome’s face flamed at the rather compromising position she found herself in, her hands clutching his shoulders as she stared, horrified, at her skirt that was suddenly hitched up indecently around her thighs. “Ya-Yash—!” she squeaked.

“Shh.” He put a finger to her lips and instantly she clamped her mouth shut, staring at him with wide chocolate eyes, a dark, embarrassed flush painting her face a becoming scarlet. Forcing himself to ignore her weight on his lap, her knees caging his hips and exposing quite a bit of delectable skin, Inuyasha realized it probably hadn’t been his best idea to settle her like this but he didn’t have the willpower to move her and only hoped she wouldn’t be able to feel the rather hardening affects she had on him.

Clearing his throat, he leveled her with a cool stare and she ducked her gaze. He growled and seized her chin with a hand, nudging her face up so he could gaze into her eyes.  His face instantly softened though at the fear he saw there and he released a sigh. “Kagome,” he said softly and ran the pad of his thumb across her lower lip. She’d been worrying it again, he noticed.  “No, I don’t wanna be with you because you look like… _her._ I wanted to help the poor soul I saw sitting on the floor in the lobby that day, maybe make a new friend, but I had no idea that you would become so important to me.  Why would you even…” He trailed off, his ears drooping low on his head and Kagome felt like shit.

“I’m sorry, Yash,” Kagome said and reached to gently coax his ears back up but didn’t linger, remembering his reaction to that. Forgetting about their position at the moment, Kagome averted her gaze, guilt etched across her pale features.  “I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to upset you, and I know…I know you’re not like that.” She closed her eyes and sucked in her lips contemplatively. “I guess…part of me still wonders why you want to be with me, because I’m nothing special. I’m not beautiful, I’m not—”

“Hey,” he interrupted and cupped her cheek, bringing her gaze back to his. “None of that. Didn’t we already establish how I see you, that you’re beautiful to _me?_ ” He jerked his head toward his sketchbook.  “And what do the why’s and how’s of it matter?” His gaze softened and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. “Shouldn’t it be enough that I just wanna be with you?”

An indescribable feeling of warmth washed over Kagome at the moment and she had to blink back tears as a small, watery smile slowly graced her features. “Yes,” she whispered, her breath ghosting across his lips and electing a shiver of desire from him. “It’s _more_ than enough.”

“Kagome,” he breathed and closed his eyes, inhaling her scent, a lusty growl emitting from his throat. Without thinking he moved his hand to cup the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in her thick black hair, drawing her forward—

“Uncle Yashie?”

Kagome gasped and scrambled off of Inuyasha’s lap, face red, hastily rearranging her skirt and avoiding the curious little girl’s gaze while said half-demon stifled a groan of frustration and turned his head to his niece who was standing in the doorway to his room, large cinnamon eyes staring between him and Kagome.

He sighed. “What’s up, squirt?” _Not me anymore_ , he inwardly groused and cast a mournful look at Kagome’s thighs. Damn, she’d covered them up again…

Rin smiled and flounced he way to his bed, hopping up and settling herself in front of the two teens. She wondered why Inuyasha’s girlfriend was blushing so much but shrugged it off and proudly displayed her drawings from school to the couple. “Look! I did these in school today and Kaede says I’m getting better every day! See, Uncle Yashie?!” Grinning from ear to ear she practically shoved them in his face and Inuyasha laughed, taking them from her and spreading them out on his lap. Kagome leaned over his shoulder and studied them as well, nodding in approval.

He whistled low and nodded. “She ain’t kidding, squirt. These are great.” He grinned at his niece and ruffled her hair, making her beam with pride.

Kagome smiled, earlier embarrassment forgotten. Inuyasha’s niece was just too cute! “Yes, Rin, they are. Why, I believe they’re even better than your uncle’s!” she proclaimed with a wink and the eight year old squealed in excitement, squirming around on the bed. Yashie’s pretty girlfriend liked her pictures, too!

“Oi!” Inuyasha protested in mock anger, the grin never leaving his lips as he made a half-hearted grab for the girl. Kagome snickered and scooted away, sticking her tongue out at him. He snorted and narrowed his eyes, wanting to suggest just what she could do with that tongue, but refraining since there were little ears present. “Brat,” he said and Rin laughed at them. Kagome only adapted a “who, me?” look and blinked innocently at him. He sighed and shook his head.  “Women,” he mumbled.

“ _Men!_ ” Kagome and Rin, the cheeky little things, chorused together and they both dissolved into giggles, the former snatching up Rin and hugging her tight. His niece returned the embrace and planted one of her famous wet kisses on her cheek.

Inuyasha watched them with a soft smile, glad two of his favorite girls got along so well.  Silently he observed them for a few more minutes as Rin told his babydoll everything there was to know about her, going a mile a minute about her school, her papa, her nanny, papa’s gross green toad secretary, her favorite (and only) uncle and then proceeded to tell Kagome a very embarrassing story involving him, a cucumber and a teddy bear but before she could get too into it the half-demon suddenly tackled them both, reveling in their surprised shrieks as he effortlessly pinned them down and mercilessly attacked their sides with his claws, grinning maliciously.

The girls laughed and gasped for breath, struggling to get out of his hold, their faces red and wide smiles plastered on their faces. Rin managed to escape with a squeal of excitement, bouncing onto her uncle’s back and trying – unsuccessfully – to tickle him back. Inuyasha reared up with a feigned roar and delighted in the sound of Rin’s laughter as she clung to his neck. And then Kagome decided she wanted in on the fun too because she pounced on them both, being careful not to crush Rin, and suddenly Inuyasha was buried beneath two giggling girls and then it was his turn to laugh and gasp for breath as two pairs of hands attacked anywhere they could reach, his sides, stomach, neck and his little devil of a niece even went for his feet.

He didn’t know how long he was fighting them off but what seemed like hours later – when in reality it was only about ten minutes – Kaede, looking amused, interrupted the tickle fight with dinner served on a tray for the three of them and Inuyasha was finally able to catch his breath, laying sprawled out on the bed while Rin went to retrieve their food. Kagome giggled and leaned over his prone form, her hair falling forward to brush against his cheeks. His eyes fluttered open and he would have sworn he was staring at an angel. Her face was flushed, mocha eyes bright and the most glorious smile he had ever seen was gracing those full, pink lips. Lips he desperately wanted to kiss right then and before he realized what he was doing he leaned up, his heavy-lidded gaze fixated on her mouth but at the last moment Kagome turned her head toward Rin as she set their dinner down at the coffee table in the middle of his room, and his mouth collided with her soft cheek. He sighed, but smiled and kissed her cheek instead, chuckling at the surprised look she gave him, and letting his head fall back down onto the mattress with a grunt.

Kagome grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the coffee table, claiming a bean bag and Inuyasha did the same. Rin settled herself on Inuyasha’s lap and he rolled his eyes but smiled. Kagome giggled and the three of them tucked into their dinner, chatting about this and that and Kagome managed to convince the half-demon to power up his Xbox so she can kick his ass at Black Ops. He snorted at that but accepted her challenge so after they finished up their dinner, the human girl and hanyou boy each claimed a controller and the battle began, Rin sitting between them and unabashedly rooting for Kagome.

**-X-**

“I _still_ can’t believe you beat me,” Inuyasha groused a few hours later, flopping backward onto his bed with a grunt.  Rin had been collected about an hour ago to be sent to bed and the two of them had just finished playing his Xbox, where Kagome had quite spectacularly beat his ass like she had claimed she would.

Kagome smirked and sat beside him, looking entirely too smug. “I _did_ warn you that Souta has the same game and he challenges me all the time,” she said. “Didn’t you believe me?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Inuyasha raised a black brow and snorted, shaking his head. “Honestly I can’t see you playing a game like Call of Duty. You’re so…so…” He wrinkled his nose, trying to find the right word to describe her.

Kagome blinked and waited.

“… _Innocent_ ,” he finally settled on and smiled at her confused look. “But that’s a good thing.” He sat up and tucked as lock of hair behind her ear, resting his forehead against her own.

Blushing, the raven-haired teenager smiled back and glanced over his shoulder at the digital clock on his night stand and gasped. “Oh my God, I didn’t realize how late it was! I should get home.” Before Inuyasha could react she jumped off his bed and went to retrieve her shoes that she’d kicked off earlier but a muscled arm locked around her waist before she could get very far, pulling her back against a hard chest. She squeaked and glanced behind her, eyes wide. “Y-Yash, I have to go—”

“Stay,” he rumbled, rubbing his cheek against hers, his chest vibrating in a soft growl. She could feel it against her back and she tried to ignore how good it felt. “Please.  I want you to stay.” He kissed her temple gently, inhaling her scent.

Kagome hesitated, her brow furrowing slightly. “But…my father—”

“Thinks you’re at Sango’s,” Inuyasha finished and started walking backward to his bed, tugging her along with him.

She relaxed slightly at that but still Kagome deliberated, worrying her lip, glancing down at the arms wrapped around her trim waist. “I…I don’t have any clothes,” she whispered as a last ditch effort but even she knew it sounded pathetic. Besides…she kind of _did_ want to stay over…she’d never stayed the night at a boy’s house before, even if it was a certain half-demon’s that she happened to be developing feelings for at a frighteningly fast rate.

Inuyasha smirked, knowing she was within his grasp. “You can wear some of mine,” he said, releasing her and wandering over to his dresser to pull out a large white T-shirt and a pair of boxers he never wore since they were too small.  He walked back over to her and pushed them into her arms, leaning down to whisper into her ear, “Go ahead and get changed while I go tell Sesshomaru you’ll be staying and let Pepper outside one last time.” He kissed her forehead and left, leaving Kagome alone with Inuyasha’s clothes in her arms.

Fifteen minutes later Inuyasha was heading back up the stairs with his dog trotting beside him. “We’re gonna have a bedmate tonight, Pepper,” he said as he started down the hall.  He chuckled. “If I can convince her, anyway.  Knowing my girl, she’ll probably insist she sleep on…the…floor…uh.” Inuyasha stopped dead in the doorway to his room, mouth dropping open and amber eyes taking in the beautiful vision before him.

Kagome stood awkwardly next to his bed, blushing a vibrant red and averting her gaze as she nervously wrapped her arms around her stomach. The shirt he’d given her was huge on her slim frame, the sleeves ending below her elbows and the collar stretched to the point where it showed off a slim shoulder, displaying a light pink bra strap.  The jersey shorts he’d given her ended just above her knees and even with the drawstring, they still rode low on her hips – from what he could tell, anyway. The shirt, having been washed so many times, was thin and faded to the point where one could see the dark blue fabric of the shorts behind it. And, Inuyasha was secretly pleased to find, he could faintly see the light pink of her bra but dared not stare too long.

God he hoped she didn’t notice.

Swallowing thickly, shamelessly racking his gaze up and down her body a few more times, Inuyasha finally snapped out of it and shut his door. Pepper trotted past her master and the other nice smelling human, unconcerned with the humans’ shenanigans and hopped up to make herself comfortable at the foot of the bed, lying down with a sigh.

Keeping his gaze locked on her, Inuyasha slowly started toward her and shed his shirt along the way, dropping it carelessly to the floor. He thought about stripping down to his boxers but decided not to. He didn’t want her to think he was pressuring for her anything and she’d probably spontaneously combust if she blushed anymore.

He halted before her and placed his hands on her hips, his gaze heavy-lidded. “I like you in my clothes,” he rumbled, his lips quirking at the corner as a wave of possessiveness swept through him, his hands tightening on her hips and drawing her closer. She gasped, staring up at him with wide eyes as her hands pressed against his bare chest.  It was then that she realized that he was indeed bare chested and her gaze drifted down to where her hands rested, the skin warm beneath her palms, his muscles toned under her fingers. She made a small “oh” sound and without thinking she started tracing the contours of his chest, drifting down to his abdomen and appreciating the hard six-pack she found there.  Quite suddenly she wanted to ask the clichéd come on, “Do you work out?” but refrained, giggling quietly to herself. God, but he was beautiful…

“Kagome,” Inuyasha rasped and she gasped, jerking her hands back and lifting her gaze up to his. Smoldering amber eyes locked with her startled coffee colored orbs. A dark flush overtook her face, realizing she had just been brazenly exploring his chest with her hands.

“S-sorry,” she squeaked and ducked her head, taking a step back to put some space between them. Kagome took a deep breath to calm her nerves and she heard him do the same; she couldn’t stop the small smile that flirted with her lips. It was nice to know that her touch affected him.

“C’mon,” he said and took her hand, leading her over to the bed.

“I’ll—I’ll sleep on the floor,” Kagome insisted and pulled her hand from his grasp. “Where are your extra blankets?”

Inwardly chuckling, Inuyasha shook his head and dragged her back to him, sweeping her up in his arms. She gasped in alarm then yelped when she was dropped onto the mattress.  “You’re not sleeping on the floor, babydoll,” he said, using a remote to shut off the light before climbing over her to the other side. “You’re sleeping with me.”

Kagome’s mouth dropped. “W-what?! You can’t be serious!”

“Keh. ‘Course I am. Why sleep on the floor when the bed’s big enough for both of us?” He shrugged and put his hands behind his head, sending her a grin.

“But—but I—you—” Her face rivaled a tomato right about now and Inuyasha sighed, sitting back up and pulling her over to him.

“Kagome,” he began, voice serious.  He frowned. “I’m not…gonna do anything, okay? You don’t have to worry about that.  I just…” He sighed again and brushed the back of his claws against her cheek.  “I just wanna hold you in my arms, okay? I promise all we’ll do is sleep.”

Once more Kagome’s eyes widened, her seemingly never ending blush deepening. He just wanted to…hold her? While they slept? She bit down on her lip thoughtfully, not surprised when he tugged it back out and she couldn’t stop the smile at the action. Inuyasha, always protecting her, even from herself.

After a moment of deliberation, Kagome finally relented with a nod, trusting his words. He had never led her to believe he’d take advantage of her, so there was nothing to be wary about. How could she have even thought about it in the first place? “Okay,” she whispered and was rewarded by his heart-stopping smile, the one she fell in love with the first day she met him.

Reaching down, he tugged the blanket over both of them then gathered her into his arms, against his chest, burying his nose into her hair as her own arms swathed around his waist. Utter contentment swept through him and soft rumble emitted from his chest, helping her relax and lulling her to sleep.

“Goodnight, babydoll.”

Sighing, Kagome snuggled closer to his warmth and mumbled something unintelligible, already on her way to the land of nod.  

Inuyasha smiled lovingly down at her and kissed her forehead. _Sweet dreams, my Kagome_.


End file.
